My StrawHat Adventures
by zoro4me3
Summary: This story is just 100% for fun. It is about the Straw-Hat Pirate crew and me off on different adventures. I've been writing it and adding on to it since the summer of 2005, so bear with my writing, especially in the first few beginning chapters... Enjoy
1. Important Words from the Author

Hey there Z4Me3 speaking! I just wanted to give you all a head's up on what you're about to read to clarify some things:

Well, being a mega huge fan of the anime _One Piece_, I decided to write a story about my encounter and adventures with the characters just for fun. I repeat: **JUST FOR FUN. _This story is suppose to entertain me and not the readers._** So if you're offeneded by anything I write or say, "Hey! That would never happen!", tough. It's pure 100 fandom fun. I wrote it when I was bored over the summer about 4 years ago so it's not only old, but in chronological order from what I was like then up to now. I've included some of my friends in the story as well, so for their sakes and my own sake, i'm giving them new names for the story.

Ok, now that that's off my chest, here's the dilio:

Basically, it's about my encounter with the Straw-Hat crew and joining them on their adventure. Half the stuff and information is true when it comes to my family and friends actions and how they probably would react. A brief warning though, these chapters are pretty long, so if you like short stories, this isn't the story for you. I've placed an adventure per chapter basically. some of the really long chapters though I will seperate into partsso I don't burn your eyes all at once. O.O Also, I use quite a bit of Japanese terminology and language in here, but since there's a lot I'm not going to explain what the words/sentences mean. They're easy enough to look up, trust me.

Don't judge me on this story, i'm sure everyone's written or draw or even thought about something like this for the hell of it.

Remember, this is for fun and it's intention was for my entertainment and I thought maybe I should share some if it with you all. So I hope you enjoy it

**READ ON!!**


	2. Ch1: Kaizoku ni Ore wa Naru!

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**CHAPTER 1: "Kaizoku ni, ore wa NARU" **

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"_Minna! Iguso!!"_

"_Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnn!!"_

The little blonde-haired girl turned off the tv and sat on the couch staring at the black screen.

"Oh... my... GOD!! KYAAAA!!!" She rolled around on the floor while holding onto her round yellow pillow. "That was one of the best movies ever!!"

Lacy just got done watching _One Piece, _her favorite anime ever for almost 4 ½ years. She's a 17 year old senior in high school who is obsessed with drawing and wants to become a manga artist in Japan some day. She's in drama and loves all of her friends, including a certain special someone... Well, actually, he's not real, but in her mind and heart he is. His name's Roronoa Zoro from One Piece. Not only was he gorgeous to her, but she melted every single time she heard his deep bold voice and saw his bulging muscles. To most, it sounded weird and sick since he was only a cartoon character, but whenever she'd feel lonely or sad, she would cuddle with her Zoro plushie and it would make her happy, thus keeping him around in her heart for happiness.

It was Christmas break after first semester when she just received her new One Piece movie. Zoro was the star and of course, Lacy squealed in excitment.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!!! Now I have to design an outfit for my character Jenka asap!"

"Lacy!! Will you turn that damn cartoon off and help set the table for once?!"

She huffed as she got up. "I'm coming , mom! I was going to do it after the movie."

"Like hell you were! You need to stop watching those damn Japanese cartoons and grow up!! You're being irresponsible!!"

She cursed under her breath. Lacy lived with her parents and 2 younger sisters - luckily she was the oldest. She loved her father with all her heart. With her tomboyish ways, they were like father and son (if she were born a guy). Her mother was the most hateful person to her on the planet. Everyone else hated her as well, but no one dared to say so to her face. Mostly because she was a very controlling woman and was a 100 true believer in the saying "all work and no play"...ever. As for her sisters, Holly was 2 years younger and a complete spoiled rotten brat. She became one of those childre who wanted everything and would throw a fit if she didn't get it. She was the complete opposite of Lacy and a real smart ass with her sharp tongue. Her other sister Anne (who was 5 years younger), was sporty yet girly at the same time. She got along better with her but she thought Anne was the favorite with her mom. She could do no wrong and got straight A's in school. It made her sick and jealous. _A few more months to go, Lacy. _She told herself. _A few more months to go..._

Sadly, only a month had gone by and it seemed like an eternity for Lacy. Home life seemed to have gotten worse for her and her drama class at school was becoming more stressful. Her school had just got done with another play - one to which was very exciting for her, a farce called _"Arsenic and Old Lace"_. The next day was a dull Sunday for everyone in San Diego. It was a cloudy cool day, with a cold breeze blowing and the looks of rain coming soon. Personally, Lacy loved this day with a passion. It suited her inner feelings and it seemed to calm her. Her sisters had a softball tournament at the park and of course, her parents went with them; so she decided to walk to 7-11 and grab a slurpee, her all time favorite addicted drink.

"This weekend sucks." Complained Lacy. "I'll just go home and watch One Piece or something..."

Just then, as she walked out of the store, a group of strange looking people caught her eye. _It can't be... A group of cosplayers walking around the town? _She peeked around the corner of the sidewalk where she saw the group walked around. There were seven members of the group altogether. One man wore a straw-hat with blue shorts and a red tank top, another man had blonde hair and was smoking a cigarette and wore a black tie suit. There were 2 women of the group. One of the women wore an orange skirt with a light blue tank top and had dark orange hair. The other woman was very tall and dark-skinned, she wore purple pants and a matching purple jacket that buttoned up in the front; to complete the look, she wore a purple cowgirl hat. Another one of the men had a long unusual nose and wore a bandana and yellow-brown overalls. One of the men looked tall, bulky and strange with a large cloak over his body (hiding it), but she noticed his pink top hat. The final member of the group had green hair, white shirt and green waistband, black pants and boots and three earrings in his left ear... _IW-What the?! It's the Straw-Hat pirates! Impossible!! They don't exist!! _The resemblance was unbelievable. Normally she would think the cosplayers were damn good, but there was no mistake that the group was the real deal.

Lacy followed them closely behind, trying not to look suspicious. She pulled the hood on her sweatshirt over her head to shield her face from them. Plus, she could help staring at them. Everyone was there: Luffy, Usopp, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, and yes, Zoro. She felt her face grow hot and her cheeks were red. _It's Zoro! Here! In the flesh!! H-how is this even possible?!?!_

She noticed Sanji turned to look back, and Lacy quickly pretended like she was walking down another street. She saw Sanji turn back to the front out of the corner of her eye and she followed them again. She wanted to know where they were going and why they were here - not that she's complaining, but she knew she had to be careful. She knew the crew well and the fact that Sanji looked over at her meant he found her suspicious, so she walked with caution. _I'll wait until there's no one around before I say anything... that way no one will hear us as I scream like a little fangirl. Something mystical's going on here._

They turned a corner and it caught Lacy off guard. She trotted towards the corner in case they made another turn and she wouldn't be able to see them again. But the worse thing imaginable happened: they disappeared. She turned into an empty allyway with a dead end not to short away from her.

"No! No! W-where did they go?! Was it all just a hallucination?!" She panicked, looking around everywhere for them. _Great! I don't know this part of the neighborhood very well, _she thought. _This is where all the gangs hang out and the druggies..._ She gulped, trying to figure out where they went more than her own safety. As she turned around to walk out of the ally, tears swelling up in her eyes from disappointment, an older guy blocked her exit.

"Hey there! Are you lost? Tell me where you live and I'll take you home." He smiled at her and walked closer.

"I-I'm not lost. Really. I was... just leaving–" She tried to move around him, but he kept blocking her.

"You sure? 'Cause this is a dangerous neighborhood if you're not careful. Especially when an innocent girl like yourself is all alone." He grabbed her arm. "C'mon! I'll be your escort!" He pulled her close to him.

"L-let me go! I swear to God I'll scream my head off!" Just her luck that this is the one time she leaves her knife at home when she could really use it right about now.

"Just try." He zipped down her jacket and pulled it off of her and threw it to the side, holding her tight.

"W-what are you doing?! LET GO!!"

He chuckled. "No one will be able to hear you, sweatheart! Now be a good girl and behave." He tried to unzip her no-sleeved hooded shirt she was wearing underneath her jacket and revealed her bra.

"N-NO!! STOP IT!!"

She struggled even more and managed to get in a good stance. She kicked him hard in the balls and waited for him to fall down. He let go of her, gasping in pain as he hunched over to hold himself.

"Why you little...!!"

She gave him a hard uppercut punch in the jaw, sending him backwards and landing hard on his back. She bald her fists in front of her with an angry expression and fighting spirit attitude. "YOU SICK PERVERT!!"

"W-whoa!!"

Lacy jumped and turned around when a familiar voice startled her. Behind her, stood Sanji in kicking position.

"I was just about to clobber the guy for messing with a beautiful girl, but you seemed to have managed yourself."

"S-S-S-S-SANJI?! IS THAT REALLY YOU?!?!??!" The voice was his, no doubt about it. No one could imitate a voice that perfectly.

He clapped his hands together then grabbed her shoulders. "AH!! You know who I am, pretty girl?! I'm flattered!!" He looked down at her. "My! And how forward we are!" She looked down and noticed her chest was still exposed. She yelped, pushed him away from her, and zipped her shirt back up. She turned around and saw the rest of the gang staring at her.

"Are you ok?" The orange-haired woman asked her.

Her voice was the same too. "Nami?! O-oh my... GOD!! I can't believe it!! You... you're all... YOU'RE ALL REALLY HERE!! IN THE FLESH!!"

"Anree??" The straw-hatted boy said, looking at her strangely. "What do you mean?"

"OH MY GOD!! Mugiwara Luffy!! And Chopper! Robin! And Usopp!! YOU GUYS REALLY _DO _EXIST!!"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Usopp puzzlingly.

"Aren't you even a little traumatized by what happened to you a minute ago...?" Nami sweat dropped. "You were just attacked..."

Lacy's face froze and she stared at them in shock. "W-wait!! Where is he? Where's Zoro?!"

"Zoro?" Repeated Luffy. "He's here." He pointed his finger behind him and she noticed Zoro leaning against the wall around the ally. He turned with a "hm?" sound as he heard his name. Lacy ran in front of him and stared at him for a long time.

Zoro stared back at her uneasy. "W-what?"

Perfect. "It's... it's you! Are you... real?"

"Wha?! Of course I'm real! Why wouldn't I be?"

She reached our her hand slowly, mesmerized at his deep, identical voice. She touched his arm, which was crossed in front of his chest with his other arm. Then she took her other hand and lightly ran it across his skin. She scooted closer, noticing Zoro not moving away from her, and she held his arm.

She smiled up at him. "You _are_ real! I'm so glad!"

Zoro finally yanked his arm away. "Who _are_ you, girl?"

"WHAT??!" Sanji exclaimed. "You know her, Zoro?!?!"

"I just asked who she was! I've never seen her before in my life!" He yelled back.

" Who are you and why were you following us?" Asked Robin, walking in front of everyone.

Lacy paused for a moment and looked around the ally. "Not here. We need to go someplace private."

"Huh?!" Usopp raised an eyebrow. "Where? Why?"

"Shh! I'll explain later. Just follow me."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Nami asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"You're just going to have to for now. We just need a place to go where we can hide."

"But why?"

"I'll explain later! Let's just move before we cause any attention!"

Everyone shrugged their shoulders and followed the blonde girl to a nearby park called. Seeing that no one was around, Lacy lead the crew to a corner of the park where no one could bother them or overhear their conversation. The clouds became a darker grey and it was about to rain from the looks of things. But no one seemed to care.

"So what now?" Robin asked.

Lacy spun around to face them and had a smile from ear to ear. "I can't believe you're all here!" She was practically screaming with joy. "It's unbelievable!!"

Luffy laughed. "She knows us from our wanted posters!"

"No no! Even before your wanted posters!" Lacy corrected him.

"Could you _please _explain how you know us?" Nami asked impatiently.

"I know everyone with great detail! From your childhoods, thoughts, dreams, and secrets, to your meetings with each other and adventures together up past the CP9 saga!"

"How? What's a saga?" Asked Usopp.

Robin froze. "H-how do you know about CP9?!"

"I watch you on tv!! You guys are my favorite anime ever!!"

"TV?" Repeated Robin.

"Anime?" Usopp mimicked.

"Oh, right. There's no tv in the anime. Um... let's see. It's like the radio, only you can see what's going on instead of just listening to it. And an anime is a genre of movies and shows. Anime is known as Japanese animation and the anime you guys are in is called 'One Piece'!!"

"One Piece?!" Luffy exclaimed. "Is One Piece here then?!"

"No, it's the _name _of the anime you guys are in. But I mean, I didn't even know you guys existed! This is... unbelievable! Impossible! I thought you guys were only a cartoon! But here you are... in the flesh and talking!! But it's strange... here you are talking to me in your Japanese voices and yet I can understand you all perfectly... how's that possible?"

"You mean you don't speak Japanese?" Robin asked.

"N-no, I do actually, but not fluently."

"So how are you able to communicate perfectly with us?"

Lacy knelt her head. "I... I don't know... Everything's just becoming so weird and abnormal all of a sudden..."

"How well _do _you know us?" Asked Nami curiously. "You're not with the navy, are you?"

"Of course not!! If I had to choose between the navy and piracy, I'd choose becoming a pirate with no hesitation!!" she answered with pride. "Let me explain. In the anime you're in, it shows your adventures. I saw when you all first met each other, the fight against Don Creek, the Baraque-Works agency and helped Princess Vivi save Alabasta, Little Garden, Skypea, the Foxxy pirates, Water 7... all of them!"

"Is someone recording us?" Asked Chopper nervously.

Lacy squealed. "Oh my God! You're so _cute_ Chopper!! You're always so adorable!" She knelt down next to him and scratched under his chin.

"I... I'm not cute!! Go away!! You won't flatter me one bit, asshole!!" He pushed her away and blushed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Lacy giggled. "Kawaii!! Anyways to answer your question, no. No one records you. Like I said, I thought you were a cartoon. How are you real?"

"I don't know." Shrugged Nami. "Must be a supernatural thing, I guess. The Grand Line is a mysterious place."

"But... this isn't the Grand Line. At least not in this world... Is it?..."

Zoro stepped forward, ignoring her comment. "How do you know us so well? I don't trust you. You could be a spy for someone looking for us."

"N-no! I'm not! How else would I know everyone's childhood at once?"

Usopp rubbed his chin. "She's got a point. Maybe it's a Devil's Fruit mind reading power or something..."

"I-it's not!"

"Nami crossed her arms. "Alright then, what happened in our childhoods?"

Lacy looked down at her feet. "I-I'm not sure I should say... it may make some people upset..."

"Aha! So you a_re_ a spy for the navy!" Luffy pointed at her.

"I said I'm not!" She sighed. "Alright... I'll tell you; but if anyone gets upset, don't blame me!" She took a deep breath. "Ok. Luffy, you admired a man named Red-hair Shanks who gave you that straw-hat when he left your village. He saved you from bandits and a sea monster after you accidently ate the Gum Gum fruit and he lost his left arm in the process."

Luffy stared at her with blank eyes. "You know about that?"

"And you Usopp. Your father is Yasopp, one of Shanks strong men. You waited forever for him in your village alone since your mother died from an illness when you were little. You put together a pirate fleet with Carrot, Onion, and Pepper and told lies to Kaya to make her feel better from her illness. She's the one who gave the Going Merry to you guys. Then later you fought Captain Kuro."

Usopp's lower jaw dropped. "K-K-Kuro? You know of him?! And Kaya?!"

She turned to Nami and spoke to her in a soft voice. "Your childhood in my opinion, was the most depressing out of everyone's. I remember crying when I saw yours. It was about your happy life with your sister Nojiko and step-mom Bellemere-san. Until Arlong killed her brutally and forced you to join his crew as a map maker and made a deal with you about buying back the village. Then later you found out he was lying and tried to steal all your saved money."

Nami froze. "Bellemere-san..."

"You Sanji, were stranded on a God forsaken rock with ex-pirate Red-shoes Zeff for weeks without food. You were starving to death after the first 25 days when you managed to make your rations last that long. Then you built a restaurant with Zeff called the Baratie in the middle of the East Blue."

Sanji looked away and took out another cigarette. "That damn old geezer..."

"Chopper. Your childhood was similar to a Christmas legend about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer; who was rejected from his herd because of his red glowing nose - but your case was about your blue nose. Then you ate the Human Human fruit and was feared by the villagers on Winter island. You were taken in by an old doctor, who died later on and you were then taken care of by Doctor Koleha."

Chopper sniffed and nodded. "Doctor Linu..."

"You were also an outcast, Robin. You were taken care of by your sick mother and by giants until your mother sacrificed herself to protect you along with the giants. Then you ate the Flora Flora fruit and accidently sank about 20-25 navy ships and was wanted ever since then. Later on you worked for Mr. 0, aka Crocodile in Alabasta."

Robin's head dropped. "It's true..."

Lacy turned to look at Zoro. "And you... Zoro. You went from dojo to dojo fighting and defeating the strongest person there so you can improve your swordsman skills. You're..." She paused, hating to say the next line. "You're female friend died and you trained hard at a dojo learning the santoryu sword fighting style so you can one day become the greatest swordsman ever by finding and defeating Eagle-eye Mihawk."

Zoro stared at her with low narrow eyes. "Souka...?"

"So you see? I know your childhoods and everything. Zoro's dream is to become the world's strongest swordsman, Luffy's to become the Pirate King and find One Piece, Nami's is to draw the first world map, Sanji to find ALL BLUE, Usopp to become a brave sea warrior, Chopper to find a cure for the world, and Robin to be a great archaeologist."

Everyone stared at her with blank faces and she began to feel uncomfortable.

"Well," began Nami. "You can't be from the navy if you know our detailed past, that's for sure."

Lacy tried to smile. "See? I was telling the truth."

Usopp closed his eyes and folded his arms with a smile. "So! We're celebrities, eh? We are popular, after all! Is it a crime to be so wonderful?"

Lacy giggled.

Nami hit him on the back of the head. "Baka! Apparently no one knows we exist!"

"W-well..." Lacy began. "Selfishly, I actually don't _want _everyone to know you exist. I mean, I'm probably your biggest fan and..." She turned to look at Zoro, who stared back at your with a questionable look. "To tell you the truth, with the way you all look, it could cause a problem and people will be questioning."

"About what?" Asked Sanji.

"Anime characters don't exist, that's explains why I reacted so odd to you. If people think you're real, then they'll think others are real and then governments and scientists will get involved about parallel universes and so on. And well... you're all pirates, and pirates don't exist anymore. Not for hundreds of years. Which to me is quite depressing since I'm an expert when to comes to pirate information from the real world and One Piece!" She winked at everyone in pride.

Luffy laughed and walked over to Lacy and slapped her on the back a couple times. "Hahahaha!! I like you! What's your name?"

"Yeah! You know all about us, but who are you?" Asked Nami.

Lacy bopped herself in the head and stuck out her tongue. "Ah! Of course!" She smiled. "My name's Lacy. Pleased to meet you all." She bowed Japanese style for them.

"LACY-CHAN, IS IT?! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME!!" Sanji swooned for her.

She blushed in embarrassment. "I... want to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to come off as weird or stupid when I reacted to you guys. I was just so shocked, you know?"

Robin smiled. "Iiee. It's normal to react in a manner that's unusual otherwise."

"Well, Lacy!" Luffy slapped her on the back again. "What do you call this island?"

"Island?"

"Yes. Our boat is docked not too far from here." Robin informed her.

"And I can't seem to find this island anywhere on the map." Added Nami.

"W-what?! The Going Merry is docked here?! Impossible! The ocean is about 25 miles away from here!"

"We only docked about 3 or 4 miles from here." Replied Nami.

"No... way! How did that... I mean... What's going on here? Everything is... changing ever since you guys came here!"

Robin pondered to herself. "It seems to me like there _is _something supernatural going on here."

"I guess so... weird! Not that I'm complaining though. This is a dream come true for me!! But you're in San Diego now."

"San Diego? Strange name for an island." Commented Sanji.

"San Diego is not an island, it's a city. And you're not on an island, you're on a continent. It's called North America."

"North America? How big is it?" Asked Chopper.

"Oh, wow...! It's uh... I'm not really sure. Maybe 4800 kilometers wide and 4200 kilometers from top to bottom."

Nami's mouth dropped. "WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE!! IT'S SO HUGE!!"

"Like I said, it's a continent. In this world, there's 7 continents on the planet." She knelt down and grabbed a broken stick and drew a map in the dirt for everyone to see. "This is one of the smaller ones." She pointed to North America. "In One Piece, it's nothing but islands." She drew a vertical line across her drawing and another horizontal line down it. "This vertical line is known as the Equator, separating the world into two hemispheres. In One Piece, this line is known as the Grand Line. This horizontal line is the Prime Meridian, or the Red Line for you guys." She sighed. "Maybe our worlds intertwined somehow."

"Well, I'm not complaining!" Sanji said holding Lacy by the shoulders. "There's pretty girls here!!"

Lacy laughed nervously and tried to step slowly away from him. "S-so. How long are you guys staying here?!"

Luffy crossed his arms and thought hard. "Dunno."

"We're hiding from the navy." Nami explained. "They're WAY too close on our trail and we need some place to hide from them for a while. I'm afraid with ship repairs, supply shortage, and the time it takes for my indicator to pick up the next island, we're here for a few months."

"It'll take that long for the indicator to point out the next island?! AWESOME!!" Everyone jumped back at her sudden excitement. "This is great!! You guys are the best and I want to get to know you all more!! We can hang out a lot!!"

"Don't you have a family to get to?" Asked Usopp. Lacy turned her head away and didn't respond. "I-I-I'm sorry!" Usopp apologized. "I-I-I didn't know you had no–"

Lacy smiled nervously at them, cutting his sentence off. "I have a family, I just..." She paused for a moment, thinking of how to explain. "My family... isn't worth the trouble. I _will _make this work so I can see you guys everyday even if it kills me!"

"Lacy-chan..."

"My... sisters are little monsters and my parents are, well... Well now that I've finally met my idols, they _won't _tear me away from this moment! Never!" She turned back to look at everyone. "Can we please hang out? I'll... I'll understand if you don't want to. But you guys are everything to me! I've admired you all for nearly 5 years and–" She looked at Zoro. "I want to be with you all..."

Luffy slapped her on the back again. "Of course we'll hang out with you! This could be fun!!"

"Maybe I can figure out how our world's connected." Pondered Robin.

Nami tapped Lacy on the shoulder. "It's great to have a fan! I'm eager to see how much you know about us and maybe more!"

"Me too!" Chimed in Chopper and Usopp.

"Count me in!" Added Sanji.

"Thank you, everyone!" Lacy smiled. "Hey! I just had a great idea!! Sanji!" She grabbed his attention. "Every time I see you cook in One Piece and see everyone praising your food, I've always wondered how good of a cook you were if you're the best! So could you possibly... cook something for me sometime?"

Sanji smiled. "It would be my pleasure, Lacy-chan!! Just tell me what you like and I'll whip it up!"

"Really?! Thank you!!" She looked at Zoro once again. "Um... Zoro?"

"Hn?"

"I would... um... like to hang out... with you a lot too... i-i-if you d-don't mind...?"

Zoro looked at her questionably. "Uh... sure."

She blushed. "T-thank you!"

Sanji sat down on a nearby picnic table and loosened his tie. "Well, I can guess you know all about our personalities and such, but what about you, Lacy-chan?"

"Huh?" Lacy perked her head up.

Chopper walked up to her. "Yes! Tell us about you then. If we're going to hang out together, we might as well get to know you since you know more about us."

"U-um, ok. I guess that would make sense. And so it won't be so awkward for anyone."

Everyone gathered around the table, with Lacy sitting next to Zoro. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering why out of everyone, she had to sit next to him.

"Um... where should I start?" Lacy asked.

"Well, what are you like?" Robin asked.

"Besides being hyper." Zoro commented.

"Um... for starters, I'm 17 years old. I'm still in school, but I'm graduating in a couple months."

"Graduating school?" Robin asked. "What for?"

"Oh, right. You guys don't know. In this world, children starting at age 5 go to school for 13 years then graduate - or complete school - and become known as adults, unlike One Piece where you go to school for a short time, at least on some islands."

"13 YEARS OF SCHOOLING?!" Usopp gasped.

"What do you learn in school?" Asked Nami curiously.

"Lots of things, mostly things to help you survive in this world and everyday life. Like math, science, history, cooking, health, English... I'm not very good in math, but I'm really good in history. Oh! Off to the side I'm taking drama!"

"Drama?" Repeated Luffy.

She nodded. "Drama is performing arts. It's where lots of people perform in a stage in front of many people. We preform famous works from Shakespeare and on. It's tons of fun"

"Enough about school. Tells us more about you!" Sanji smiled.

She laughed. "I'm in love with a special drink called slurpees, which is basically ice and soda mixed. Um... I love to eat, I play lots of sports, I'm strong, always happy I suppose, and a tomboy."

"A tomboy?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

She blushed and smiled at him. "Heh heh Yes. I'm not acting the part now, but I hang out with a lot of guys and act like them. You know, tough and sporty and into guy things."

"That would explain the strange guy clothes you're wearing." Usopp commented, noticing her baggy sweatshirt and long loose pants and fat shoes.

She blushed again. "S-so? These are perfectly good guy clothes for a tomboy thank you very much! It's just baggy pants and a bandana. I'm actually wearing a girl shirt."

"And a nice feminine bra" Sanji smiled wide.

Lacy's eyes went wide. "S-SANJI!!"

"What else?" Luffy asked.

She turned back to them. "Um... Oh! I absolutely LOVE to draw! I've even created several of my own comics!"

"Really?!" Luffy's eyes were bright. "Do you have anything to show us?"

"Not now... but when I come to see you guys I can bring some pieces of my work with me."

Luffy threw his hands in the air. "YAY!!"

"I know it's a touchy subject, but tell us about your family." Nami asked.

"...Why? How do you know it's touchy?"

"The way you reacted when you mentioned your family was odd. If it's upsetting, then you're no different from the rest of us." She smiled. "If you know about our childhoods, I think it would be only fair if we learned about yours."

Lacy lowered her head and took a deep breath. "Alright. Um... In a nutshell: I had no childhood. Not a typical one anyways. I have 2 younger sisters named Holly and Anne. Holly and I are complete opposites, making her a total girly girl. Most of the time she hates the sight of me and sometimes tries to make my life miserable by acting bigger than me. Anne is the youngest and a mix of us both. She dresses girly, but has a sporty side. We get along, but it bugs me how she does everything perfect in school and at home. My mom... she's... let's just say I'm convinced that she's the devil's wife, ok? Even all of my friends are terrified of her. But I love my dad to death. We get along great and he only yells at me when I do something I deserve to be yelled at about. Unlike my mom who makes yelling at me a daily chore. She's a big believer of the saying 'all work and no play'."

"I'm so sorry Lacy-chan..."

"What about your friends?" Asked Usopp. "I'm sure they take care of you."

"They do! I don't know if I'd be sane without them! I don't say much about my home life with them though."

"Why not?"

"Because... Let's just drop it, ok? Not much left to say." She sat up and put a smile on her face again. "You guys could teach me how to sail sometime!"

"That'd be fun!" Luffy cheered with her.

"Ne, Sanji-kun." Nami whispered. "Lacy looked sad just now, didn't she?"

He nodded. "Eh. We probably shouldn't ask about her family anymore."

"I don't think she's telling us everything." Usopp whispered his opinion.

"Eh. But it's probably personal. So we shouldn't bother her about it." Nami agreed.

"Oi, girl." Zoro called to Lacy. "When can we get off this island?"

"Ah! That's right! Do you know how long it takes for the indicator on this island to pick up the next one?" Asked Nami.

"I told you this isn't an island. And you're in another... dimension or something, so I don't know what to tell you." Lacy replied. "But personally, I hope it takes a long while. I'm so glad you guys are here!"

They spent another 3 hours talking and thinking of ways for them all to meet each other. They decided on meeting at the Going Merry every weekend. Lacy would sneak out of the house at midnight to meet them on week nights. Luckily with drama as her first period, she'll be able to sleep for a while in her first class while she stays up all night hanging out with the gang. They exchanged locations to the Going Merry, Lacy's house and school, and sadly departed. Lacy kept staring at Zoro a lot and hoped he wouldn't notice. If he did, she wondered if he thought she was a freak or just weird.

That night, Lacy couldn't fall asleep and kept replaying their encounter over and over again in her mind until she slowly drifted off into a wonderful sleep.


	3. Ch2: Love's Enchantment

_**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Ok, this chapter's a little corny, cheesy, random, and... weird. But hey, over the years of writing this story I've gotten better and more realistic with the story, ok? Bear with it until we get to some of the other stories. ;; ok...

---

**CHAPTER 2: Love's Enchantment **

---

Another month went by, and so far Lacy managed to meet the Straw-Hat pirates without getting caught. She even had some of the gang to help her with homework (mostly English and econ/government homework). She felt closer than ever to them, everyone that is, except Zoro. Nothing awkward was going on, really. Zoro was his same ol' self; always sleeping, drinking, training, or silently keeping to himself in one corner of the room. At first she decided to just leave him alone for the time being, but then she though he might get away from her and so she began to "casually" hang around him; that is, until someone noticed her actions around him.

"What is it with you always being around Zoro?" Nami asked, pulling Lacy to one side one night.

"W-w-w-what are you talking about?!"

She giggled. "I can tell you like him. Is it true?"

Lacy blushed, hesitant towards the question. "Y-Yes... But you can't tell him or anybody!! Got it?" She thought about keeping this secret to herself, but if she doesn't tell someone soon, her opportunity may pass now that everyone's real.

Nami squealed. "KYAA! That's so cute! But who would ever like that big oaf?"

"I don't like him!! I... love him."

"WHAT?! Seriously?! You barely know him!"

She shook her head. "I've loved him for nearly 5 years. I know all about him already from the anime. But... I can't stop thinking about him. And now that I know he's real, I can't help but wanting to be closer." She paused a moment and looked up at Nami's face. "Nami?"

"Yeah?"

"I... want him to like me. More than just on friendly terms. I want him to eventually love me back! But I'm afraid it may be hard to do..."

Nami began to blush. "Aww! That's so sweet! I can't believe that oaf has a secret admirer! It's so cute!"

"Do you think you can help me? I hate to admit it, but I'm desperate to even have him noticed me!!"

"Of course I'll help you, silly! Besides, this is something I'd love to see!"

"Thank you, Nami!!" She hugged her tight. "You're the best!!"

"Well, there _is_a price!"

Lacy backed up and looked sadly up at her. "I should've known... Nami, there's one thing you have to learn about me that everyone else knows greatly about besides my fondness of Zoro."

"What is it?"

"I'm always broke. My mom's in charge of my money and I can never have it. Besides, you charge way too much for things and our currency's different from yours. Even if I paid you, our money's no good in the Grand Line."

Nami sighed with a depressing look on her face. "Aww... this sucks! Fine! I'll help you out of the sake of love. But! You have to pay me some other way, ok?"

Lacy smiled again. "Ok! I promise! Thank you!!"

After their conversation, Nami did everything in her power to get Lacy and Zoro alone. Most of the time it worked, other times caused Zoro to become stubborn and all he wanted to do was sleep. When they were together, most of the time was silence, but just being with him made Lacy happy.

"Zoro?" Lacy asked one night when they were alone on the deck a couple weeks later.

"What?" He said, never looking at her, but instead staring off into the abyss.

"Um... what do you think about when you stare at the ocean?" She asked him shyly.

"Things."

"What things?"

"Just rethinking past events."

"Like... battles with other people?"

"Yeah. I'm always trying to figure out better ways I could've handled the situations."

Lacy smiled at his long response. "I see... I'm curious, have you thought about your battle against Mr. 1? Back in Alabasta?"

Zoro closed his eyes and sighed. "I really had no choice in that situation. I had to find out for myself at that moment on how to beat him."

"You're talking about the whole being able to slice iron thing, right?" Zoro turned and looked at her with a shocking expression. She chuckled. "Remember, I know all about you guys. I know about the thing with your sensei and slicing stone and paper."

"Souka."

"Personally, I didn't like that battle."

"Oh? Why not?"

She knelt her head. "W-well... you were hurt pretty badly. I mean, he turned his arms into saws and sliced your stomach. I cringed when I saw that."

Zoro stared at her for a moment and looked back at the ocean while scratching the back of his head. "Why is it that you always talk about my battles? Why not anyone else's?"

She blushed and looked the other way at the ocean. "I-I just find your battles more interesting is all."

"What about Luffy? He's the one that always fights against the leader or someone important."

She began to sweat a bit and her cheeks grew hotter. "I-I-I know. B-but yours is just... uh... better." She didn't know how to explain it to him without him knowing of her incredible crush.

"Hm. Souka."

She looked back at him and he was still watching the ocean. Something caught her eye and she looked up at the night sky. She noticed a shooting star flying across them overhead and her smiled widened as she stood up. "Wow! Zoro, look! A shooting star!" She pointed at the sky and he looked up.

"They're ok." He shrugged.

"You mean, you've seen more than one before?!"

"Once or twice."

"Now that I think about it, you _did_see some on an ending theme where Robin was watching the ship for the night. Anyways, this is my first one ever! It's beautiful!"

Zoro looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You find a star _that_ exciting?"

"Of course! Especially when I've never seen a shooting star before." She sighed and rested her hands on the railing. "The night sky on the ocean looks better than the city. I hate it. The city's so overpopulated and smoggy and disgusting. There are barely any stars out. But here or the mountains... there are millions of them so close and bright. They really stand out." She reached out towards the sky, as if trying to touch them.

Zoro stood up and placed his hands in his pockets. "You're a strange one." Lacy blushed, not realizing what she was doing. He sighed. "Why are you always hanging around me? I thought you wanted to get to know everyone?"

"I-I do! I-It's just... I uh...I've been hanging out with everyone else a-and you aren't around most of the time and... um..." She looked up at him and noticed he was getting impatient with her stuttering. She took a deep breath. "O-ok. There's something... I want to tell you, Zoro..."

"Yeah?" He leaned against the railing as if it was going to take a while.

"Well I... have this... uh... you see... What I'm trying to say is... um... i-it's really hard for me to say this, but... I uh... um..."

He grunted. "Geez. You like to stall, don't you?"

She blushed and walked right in front of him. "I-I love you, Zoro!"_There! I said it! _She thought._ I finally, after nearly 5 years, have said it to you!! Face to face!_ "Everyone knows about you, Zoro." She continued. "I tell my friends about you all the time! They know my fascination of you and I like you so much!! I can't bear it any longer!!"

He looked shocked at her sudden outburst and took a step back.

"Everything you do, everything you say, whatever you do, I can't help but swoon for you! My face turns red whenever you do a cool move or say something cunning! And you always make me laugh whenever you don't remember someone's name or get lost easily! I have always and _will_always love you til the day I die! And now that you're here, in the flesh, I just wanted you to know that. I'm not forcing you to like me or anything, I just wanted you to know how I felt before anything happens!"

He noticed her shaking. "O-oi. Just um..." He didn't know what to say, she was putting him in an unusual situation that he's never been in before.

She stood back and wiped her face. When she looked up, he noticed she was crying. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not a freak. Really! Just... a fan girl. Yeah... that's all I am. A fan girl..." She ran off the Going Merry and disappeared into the night, heading towards where her house was.

Zoro just stared at her direction. "What... was _that_all about...?"

--------------------------------------------------

The next few days, Lacy acted as if she never told Zoro about her feelings for him. She laughed and went about doing her own thing. But Zoro noticed she was avoiding him a little by spending more time with everyone else. He wasn't feeling lonely he convinced himself, he was just wondering what her deal was.

The next night was the beginning of the weekend. Lacy lied to her parents saying she was spending the night at a friend's house so she could stay with the Straw-Hat gang.

Zoro walked out onto the deck and found Lacy lying on top of the head of the ship. He thought Luffy was very protective of "his seat" on the head, but he figured he didn't care this once or didn't know she was on it. She was on her stomach with her head resting on her hands staring off into the ocean. She was wearing black pants and her white "I love cowboys" shirt on. It was chilly, but he guessed it didn't bother her much.

_I'm going to find out what's going on, _he thought. _Now she _has_to talk to me about what happened that night. _He approached her with a determined attitude. "Oi, Lacy!"

His voice startled her. Her body jumped and turned quickly around to see who it was. But she was startled more than she thought. She jumped too far to one side and slide over Going Merry's head.

"Aah!"

_SPLASH!_

She fell into the freezing cold ocean water and sank a bit to clear her mind of what happened then swam to the top. As she surfaced, she saw a large splash in front of her. Before she knew what was going on, she was grabbed from under the water and picked up onto Zoro's shoulders.

"Z-Zoro!! I'm fine! I can swim! I'm an excellent swimmer! Put me down!"

He dropped her back into the water. She surfaced with an angry face to show him he didn't have to drop her like that. "Sorry. I thought you were going to drown."

"Well, I guess you didn't know I can swim."

They both swam towards the docks and Zoro climbed out of the water. He turned around and grabbed Lacy's hand and pulled her up.

"GOD THAT'S COLD!!" Lacy was shaking uncontrollably and her lips turned blue.

"Wait a minute. I'll go grab a towel." Zoro rushed off into the cabin of the Going Merry and came back out with 2 towels. He tossed one to Lacy and she thanked him. As she was trying to dry her hair, she saw Zoro staring at her out of the corner of her eye. _Why is he... blushing? _She looked down and noticed her shirt, which was now pinned tight against her body, was revealing her bra underneath.

She quickly covered herself up and her face turned red. "Z-ZORO!!"

He snapped out of it and turned his head away. "I-I didn't see anything!"

They went up onto the Going Merry, when Nami came out of the cabin. "What on Earth are you guys doing?! Taking a midnight swim?! You're crazy!"

"Shut up. We fell in the water." Zoro snapped.

Nami raised an eyebrow. "At the same time?" She turned to look at Lacy, who's lips where a dark blue. "Oh my God! You must be freezing your ass off! Here, take off those clothes and I'll dry them for you. I'll get you some other clothes for now."

"Thank you, Nami."

Lacy was offered flannel pants that fitted her comfortably. But Nami's shirts were too small for her, so she decided being in her bra was ok until Robin came back to the ship with supplies so she can try on a shirt of hers. Until then, she was going to keep the towel on anyways since it was cold. After getting another towel from Nami, Lacy walked upstairs back onto the deck. When she closed the door behind her, she stopped abruptly. Zoro was wringing out his shirt. She blushed as she stared at his dark skin glistening in the moonlight.

"Oi! Have some decency!"

Lacy looked down and noticed her hands were losing their grip on the towel. "S-sorry!"

He sighed and turned away, placing his shirt over the side of the railing. He took his towel and wrapped it around his neck.

"So..." Lacy began. "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Zoro kept his back to her as he spoke. "Yeah, there was. Why are you acting weird?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you've been acting weird ever since that one night you ran away from me. What's the deal?"

"I don't understand...?"

He turned around to face her. "So... what? You 'confess' your feelings for me and now you're blowing me off?"

"I-I uh... I didn't know you–"

Zoro walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders. His grip was tight and he shook her. "Did you eat the Devil's Fruit and put a curse on me or something?!"

"W-what? You're not making any sense! And for one thing, if I ate the Devil's Fruit, then how was I able to swim a moment ago?"

"Then you must be some sort of... witch or Siren or _something_to place a spell on me! You got a lot of nerve! Do you know who your messing with?!"

"Z-Zoro! You're scaring me! I don't understand what you're trying to say! I don't possess any power at all! I swear!"

Zoro tightened his grip and Lacy shuttered from the pain. "Then explain something to me! _Why_is it that whenever you're around me, I feel strange?!"

She looked at him puzzlingly. "Strange? Like you feel sick?"

"No! Like..." His face began to twist as he tried to find the right words to say. "Like I'm floating."

Lacy smiled. "Floating?"

Zoro shook her again. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Smiling! Just stop it! Whenever you smile like that I... I feel weird!"

Her smile widened. "R-really?!"

"I said stop it!"

"Zoro, let me ask you something. When you see me, is it a... _good_ strange feeling?"

"Yes! What did you do?!"

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh... my God! ...Zoro... do you... like me?"

"Why are you crying? I didn't insult you!"

"Do you like me?"

Zoro released her and slammed his fists against the railing. "DAMMIT!! You're intoxicating! Why is it that whenever you're not around I feel empty? Why is it that whenever you smile I can't help but smile as well? Why do my cheeks feel hot whenever you laugh?! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! What's going on?!"

Lacy stood where she was, not wanting to make him even more mad... or was he? "Zoro..."

Zoro looked back at her. Her tears had stopped, but her cheeks were a light pink. Just like her lips... He shook his head vehemently and continued in a calmer tone. "What... did you do to me?"

"I'm not sure. I actually didn't do anything. You... um... did this yourself."

"How?"

"I don't know..."

Zoro began to walk closer to her. She stood there staring into his dark eyes. She didn't dare move. His approach made her body freeze and she waited for him to say something or do something. He leaned his face closer to hers, so close they were almost touching...

"YOU'RE CLOTHES ARE ALMOST DRY!!!" Luffy came springing out of the cabin door with a piece of meat sticking out of his mouth.

Lacy and Zoro lost their balance, dropped to one side.

"B-B-BAKA YAROU!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!" Zoro screamed at him.

"Why are you getting so mad, Zoro? Nami wanted me to tell Lacy her clothes were almost dry."

"Er... thanks, Luffy." Lacy replied, trying to sound calm rather than glaring angrily at him.

Nami came up behind Luffy in the doorway and hit him hard on the head; sending him face down in the ground. "YOU IDIOT!! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO TELL HER NOW!! NOT WHEN ZORO'S THERE!!" She paused and looked up to see Zoro and Lacy staring blankly at her. "Aheh heh heh..." A sweat drop ran down her face and she stepped backwards, dragging Luffy with her. "S-so sorry to bother you two. C-carry on!" She quietly closed the door behind her.

"What... was that all about?" Zoro asked, looking at Lacy.

She hid her face in her hands and blushed. "I uh... I d-don't know."

He lifted up her face with his forefinger and stared into her eyes. "Lacy, I–"

"TEE MEE!!!! HOW DARE YOU, YOU BASTARD!!" They fell over again as Sanji came storming out of the cabin with veins popping out of his forehead. "I SAW EVERYTHING!! HOW COULD YOU, YOU ASSHOLE?!?!"

"What the hell are you babbling about now, you damn cook?!" Zoro snapped.

Sanji yanked Zoro by his shoulder and lifted up his fist. "YOU DARE TO MAKE A MOVE ON LACY-CHAN?! AN INNOCENT GIRL LIKE HER?! WHY I OUTTA–"

Lacy tried pushing the two of them away from each other. "G-guys! C'mon now! Sanji! Please stop! Let him go!"

"Stand back, Lacy-chan! I'll protect you!!"

"SANJI-KUN!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Nami came stomping out of the doorway with a her arms on her sides and her hands balled into fists.

"Nami-swa! Zoro's trying to hurt Lacy-chwa!"

"What?! What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything!" Lacy tried to shout above everyone else.

"He tried to seduce her!!" Sanji shouted.

Nami, like Luffy, hit Sanji hard on the head. "YOU IDIOT!! That's_suppose_ to happen!! God!! Doesn't anyone listen to me?!" She turned to Lacy. "Gomen, Lacy. I'm having a difficult time trying to control everyone. I didn't ruin anything, did I?"

"Actually, you–" Zoro was about to say something insulting, Lacy knew. So she cut him off.

"N-no! You didn't. In fact..." She scooted closer to whisper in Nami's ear. "I... told him about my feelings a while ago."

Nami's eyes glittered. "REALLY?! AND?!"

"CHIKUSO!!" Zoro turned his back on everyone and slammed his fists on the railing again.

"What's with him?" Whispered Nami to Lacy.

She smiled. "He... likes me back and he's being... well, 'Zoro' about it."

"Being 'Zoro'? And what exactly is that?"

She giggled. "You know how he is."

Nami sighed. "Sadly yes. But he likes you?! Oh my God!! You two have to go on a date!!"

Zoro whipped back around and stared at Nami. "A date?!" Lacy just blushed, embarrassed that Nami was talking so loudly about it.

"Yeah! Aw, c'mon! It'll be fun! You two can hold each other's hands as you walk down the street, have a romantic candle lit dinner for two, then stare into each other's eyes til you must sadly depart! Ahh..." Nami drifted off into her own world as Zoro and Lacy just started at her.

They looked at each other and Lacy smiled. "Um... that could be fun. Maybe not everything she said but... maybe... we can?"

Zoro spat and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess." Lacy jumped and hugged him, catching him off guard. "W-wha–?"

She smiled up at him. "We'll be able to hang out. You know, just the two of us!"

Zoro scratched his chin and slightly blushed. He turned to the stars and smiled a bit. _Ok. Yeah. Doesn't sound too bad..._


	4. Ch3: First Date

_**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE**_ Eh... the endings so-so to me, but I don't want to change or alter my story because it shows me how much I've improved and all that. Still some corniness... worked on that... lol

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**CHAPTER 3: First Date**

---

Nami was excited about planning their date. It seemed like a holiday for her. But she wasn't the only one that was excited. Ever since that night, Lacy had been smiling from ear to ear all day long at school; people started suspecting something wrong with her, the good and the bad.

"Um... Lacy?"

"Oh, hi Kiara-san!"

Lacy's red-headed friend took a seat beside her and have her a big smile. Kiara was a sexy popular girl with high heeled boots on, a jean skirt and a multi-colored striped shirt and red lipstick. Lacy always admired her because she was everything she wasn't and more. Sort of like her opposite in looks, but had the same tastes like lving vampires, reading, movies, etc. While she possessed the artistic talent, Kiara was gifted with creative writing. Her words were always beautiful and flowed with everything. Kiara was also a great debater and would never give up in a verbal fight. This proved both good and bad, not to mention entertaining for Lacy.

She leaned over and whispered in her ear so no one else could hear her in their drama class. "Did you... _do it?"_

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'do it'?"

"You know... make out with a guy for the first time?" She teased.

Lacy slammed her head on the table in shock. "N-NO!!" She looked around and saw only a few people stared at them when she shouted. She lowered her voice. "I mean, no! Well, I haven't even been with a guy, but... GAH!! Why would you think that?!"

Her smile faded. "Well, it was a thought. After all, you _are _miss innocent. A virgin physically and mentally."

"God I hate that nickname..."

"I'm joking. I was just wondering since you've been smiling too much lately."

"But I always smile."

"Well, of course. I mean, smiling makes you Lacy. When you're not, everyone freaks out."

She sighed. " I know. It's annoying."

"Then why are you smiling like you received a million mangas? Oh!! Did you meet someone?!"

Lacy laughed and closed her eyes. "You could say that."

Kiara squealed. "KYAA!! Oh my God!! Tell me tell me!! Who is he?! Do I know him?! Does he go here?! DETAILS WOMAN!!"

She winked and stuck out her tongue. "I'm not tellin'."

"WHAT?! Why not?!"

"I'm waiting to introduce him to everyone. It'll be a shocker."

"ARG!!" Kiara's head fell. "Now I definitely wanna know! C'mon! You can tell me!"

"Nope! You're going to have to wait."

"Why?!"

"Well..." She blushed. "We haven't gone on a date yet. So we're going on one really soon and..."

Her friend squealed again. "AWWW!! My little Lacy's growing up and finding a boyfriend!!" She wrapped her arms around Lacy's head and pulled her close to her chest. "I'm SO happy for you!!"

Lacy laughed and hugged her friend. "Thanks, Kiara-san."

"What's this I hear? Secrets?"

Lacy's other drama friend came up to them at the table and crossed his arms in a mischievous way. He was tall with black boots, olive green rocker t-shirt, and dark jeans on. He had brown hair and green eyes.

"Hey Phal-kun!" Kiara smiled at him.

"What's going on here, ladies?"

"N-nothing, Phal-kun." Lacy replied.

"Lacy's found a man."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "Oh really? Who's the lucky guy?"

She blushed and turned away. "You'll see soon."

"Does he go here?"

"No. But I'm going to bring him here for everyone to meet the Saturday we open the play."

"Great. Can't wait to meet him." Phal walked away with a disappointed look on his face.

Lacy leaned in towards her friend. "I... kind of didn't want him to know, Kiara-san."

"Why not?" She stopped herself. "Oh... right. He still has feelings for you, huh?" Lacy nodded. "Well, he has to get over you sometime! He had his chance and blew it. He asked you out and for the entire 2 months you guys dated, he was a pervert! All he did was talk about breasts and yours!"

Lacy sighed and started at Phal's back as he rehearsed his lines. Phal was the nickname everyone called him at school, but his real name was Randy. She felt sorry for him since she knew that he still had strong feelings for her. He had a crush on her and asked her out over the summer. They went out together and soon after Halloween he broke it off. Yes, _he _broke it off with her. From what she gathered from everyone, he wanted her 24/7 and seemed to only have one thing on his mind. And since she's never been in a relationship before that, she didn't do what "typical" girlfriends did. Kiara and a few others were mad at him to expect so much from an inexperienced girl, but in the end, Lacy didn't care. She felt sorry for him that he still cared, but she moved on, her heart still secretly belonging to Zoro. Especially since he's real now, her heart was sold forever to him.

"What's new, guys?"

Another girl joined them at the table and sat on the other end of the circular table. It was their friend Julie, and another member of their close 5-girl group of friends click hey called "the gang". She had the same dirty blonde hair Lacy had and blue eyes, but she was much taller and her hair was just past her shoulders. She was known as "the Evil One" since she was as everyone described "so delightfully evil". But she was as crazy as the other two and had the same interests as them. Not to mention she had a love for Disney merchandise and hip hop/rap music. She was tomboyish like Lacy, wearing a large black pullover sweatshirt and jeans.

"Lacy's going on a date apparently". Kiara asnwered.

Julie grinned. "Oh reeeeally? Who?"

Lacy smiled. "You'll all see very soon. We have to get passed the whole 'date' thing first before anything's official. We haven't even done anything yet, so don't get too excited for me."

"Why is it a secret?" Julie asked.

She shrugged. "I just want to surprise everyone. Be shouldn't be known to the public just yet."

"He's a professor isn't he?"

Lacy almost jumped out of her chair. "WHAT?! NO!! WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT?!?!" She stopped and noticed everyone was staring at her again. She sunk into her seat and lowered her head in embarrassment. She made a mental note to stop yelling.

Her friend laughed. "I'm just messin' with ya! After all, your dad works here."

Lacy laughed, realizing she made an inside joke only the two of them got. "Yeah yeah, whatever."

"So!" Kiara said, wanting to get back on the subject. "What does this mystery man look like? Can you at least tell us that?"

"Well, not to spoil the surprise, he's tall with tanned skin and broad shoulders. He has short spiked hair and dark eyes. _Very _built with delicious bugling biceps..." She made a face like she was melting and stuck out her tongue.

Kiara laughed. "Vague descrption, but how cute! So where is he taking you?"

"I'm... not sure."

"Aww, he's going to surprise you! How sweet! What are you going to wear? Do NOT dress like a boy, got it?" She gave her a hard stare in the eyes.

"I know! I know! I'll wear something girly, I promise."

Julie raised an eyebrow. "You? Wearing something girly? Doubt it." Kiara nodded in agreement.

Lacy sighed. "Look, I'll do the whole tight cleavage shirt and tight pants look, that ok with you?"

Kiara smiled. "Ok! Just nothing baggy and remember to–"

"Kiara! Lacy! C'mon now! Get busy! We only have a couple weeks til opening night! We still need to review the dance scene!" They looked over and saw their drama teacher yelling over at them from a sewing machine. They smiled and walked to the stage together while Julie waited for them to finish at the table, doing her homework and reading a book.

--------------------------------------------------

That night, Lacy met up with the Straw-Hat pirates really late.

"Where have you been?! We've been waiting for over an hour!"

Lacy stopped in front of Nami trying to catch her breath. "I'm sorry! I have rehearsals every afternoon, remember?"

"Then why are you late?"

"Because we have to rehearse later now! We have 2 weeks til opening night! We have to stay til about 10:30. I can't leave any earlier, I'm in the closing act."

Nami huffed and folded her arms. "Fine! I guess it can't be helped." She paused and scanned Lacy's body. "What on Earth are you wearing?!"

Lacy looked down at her sweaty baggy pants and t-shirt. "Erm... my rehearsal uniform?"

"You're date is in 20 minutes!! For your sake you _better_ have extra clothes in that bag you're holding."

Lacy lifted up a grocery bag she held in her hand and smiled. "Yup."

"Then go! Take a shower and get dressed! Meet me in my room when you're done and I'll tell you all the details!"

Lacy took the fastest shower in her life and quickly got dressed. It was less than 10 minutes til the promised time.

"How do I look?" Lacy asked Nami, turning around to show her all sides.

"Not bad. But why aren't you wearing a skirt? It'd look better on you."

Lacy made a disgusted face. "I _don't _wear skirts!"

Nami pouted. "Why not?"

"I'm not into the whole 'girly' look. You're lucky I'm wearing this. My friends would say it's an improvement."

She sighed. "Fine. Are you wearing make-up?"

"Just mascara."

"No lipstick?! Not even blush or eyeshadow?!"

"I _don't_ wear make-up either. You're lucky I'm even wearing mascara."

"Why?! Are you even a girl?!"

"Look, I'm not going out looking like someone I'm not, ok? Make-up is not my thing. Or girly outfits."

"Alright, alright. You do look nice enough for a date though, I'll give you that. Now, to business." Nami sat on her bed and signaled Lacy to do the same as if it was going to take a while. "You and Zoro are going to see a fireworks show on the pier at 11:30, then eating at a fancy dinner on the beach. Then you're going out for ice cream then coming back here. Ok?"

"A fireworks show? That late at night?"

"Hey, it's the weekend. Everything's up later."

"True..."

Nami took out a bottle of perfume and squirted it on Lacy. She noticed Lacy trying to run away from her, and so the chase was on.

"Stop! NO perfume!!"

"Aww, come on! At least something! You're making this date a difficult project, you know!"

She sighed. "Fine. But I'll spray my own perfume on."

"You actually own some?!"

"Just vanilla perfume. It's the only scent I'll ever wear." She took out a bottle from her bag and sprayed it once on her neck.

Nami smiled and slapped Lacy on the back. "Now, go get 'im tiger!"

Lacy took a deep nervous breath. "Yeah... thanks."

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They walked together up to the kitchen. When the opened the door, they found Zoro and the rest of the gang waiting for them at the table. It almost seemed like everyone was gathering for an important event, which apparently this was considering Zoro on a date was unimaginable. It bothered Lacy that they were being watched and crowded like a show...

"AAH!! LACY-CHWA!! YOU LOOK DELICIOUS!!"

Nami pulled Sanji back by the collar. "Takkun... she's Zoro's date tonight."

Zoro stared at her. He felt so underdressed compared to her. He wore brown pants with black shoes and belt. He had an olive-green t-shirt on with a dark yellow and orange plaid jacket unbuttoned over the shirt. Lacy on the other hand, wore tight black dress pants with nice black sandals peeking under them. Her top was a brown and turquoise spaghetti-strap that cupped her breasts then hung loose over her belly. To top it all off, she wore a puka shell necklace that helped retain what was left of her tomboyish way in the outfit.

"Well?" Winked Nami. "Doesn't she look good, Zoro?"

Zoro was embarrassed that she was putting him on the spot. "Yeah."

Nami pouted and was about to yell at him, til Lacy spoke in front of her. "Um... should we go?" She said on a shy voice.

She grabbed a brown leather coat while Zoro opened the door for her and led her out to the upper deck. When he closed the door behind him, everyone rushed to the window to peek at them.

"We should follow them!" Snickered Usopp.

"We should! We should!" Shouted Luffy.

"SSSH!! Let's do it quietly then!" Agreed Nami.

"Leave them alone, Miss Navigator. It's their first date. Let them be." Everyone turned around to see Robin reading one of her history books at the table.

Nami pouted again. "Aww... fine."

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Zoro and Lacy never said a word to each other. They walked to the pier where they saw a bunch of other people gathering and finding seats for the show. They found a spot near the end of the pier and sat on provided blankets. After the show, they walked to the restaurant Nami told them to go to. When they got there, they saw a bunch of classy people in long slender dresses and tuxedos dining together over expensive dinners. Everything was so clean and white and... not them.

"Hey, let's go." Lacy tugged on Zoro's arm, leading him away from the restaurant.

"To where? This is the place Nami said–"

"Since when do you listen to Nami? Besides, do you _really _want to eat here?"

Zoro looked back at the restaurant. "Not in this lifetime."

Lacy smiled. "Well then? Shall we go?"

"Where?"

"Any place but here is fine. Fancy places aren't my thing, same for you, right?"

Zoro smiled and nodded. They went to a vendor and grabbed a couple of burgers and cokes for themselves and ate on the beach.

"Now, this is _much _better than some ol' fancy restaurant, right Zoro?"

"This isn't bad at all." Zoro commented, taking another bite from his burger.

She giggled. "Well with Sanji's cooking, burgers are degrading and are nothing compared to his food. But sometimes the simple greasy foods are the best."

Zoro paused for a moment, staring at her with a low gaze. "Why are you a fake?"

She stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

"When you're around other people, you laugh and seem happy. But when someone mentions your family or friends, or even try to help you with some things, you get depressed."

"I-I do not!"

"Then why do you look different whenever you have to leave?"

Lacy looked away from him and took a bite from her burger. "You're imagining things."

"Stop screwing around. I can tell you're faking it. You always tell half the story."

She turned to look at him with wide eyes, it was almost like he was trying to see past her. "I'm... n-not proud of my family, alright?"

"Then have one of your friends–"

"They don't know anything about it!!" She covered her mouth and stared at the ocean. "They... I don't tell anybody about it."

"Why? I thought you said they didn't like your family?"

"I tell them _some _things that go on... but it's none of their business and besides, what could_ they_ do?"

"You're still hiding something. You might as well stop stalling because I can tell when you're lying."

"You can?"

"Yes. You're easy to read."

She sighed. "Why are you so curious to know, Zoro?"

He took a bite of burger and grunted. "It bugs the hell out of me with the way you act with this subject."

"Fine..." Zoro looked over at her. "I'll tell you what you need to know for now, I suppose..."

"Hn?"

"My mom abuses me and no one needs to know that. I don't want sympathy from anyone nor any 'what I can do' lectures. If I told anyone about this, they would think I'm a crybaby and I would feel like I'm acting as if I need attention and all. I feel like it's my burden and worry to bear. Some people know my mom's strict and all, but nothing too severe I guess. Heh. We sometimes even call her Hitler--"

"That's bull!"

Lacy turned her head to see him. "What is?"

"So you smile at everyone as if nothing's wrong when you're in public?! Just so you can cover up your feelings?!"

"S-so? It's who I've become, ok? I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing? Yell back at me! Stand up for yourself!"

She gave him a tough tomboy grin. "I can stick up for myself no problem! I'm a tomboy after all! I pick fights in school for Christ's sake! But standing up to people when the subject's about my family... I just try to ignore it and go on with my life."

Zoro sighed. "You apparently have tried that already. Standing up to the matter I mean."

She nodded. "I'm sorry. I just... can't fight back to people anymore about this. They just don't understand even if I told them everything."

"Fine. Do whatever you want."

"If it matters to you at all, I _do_ smile when I'm around others because they truly do make me happy. Being around them instead of my family makes me happy because they accept me for me."

He looked over and saw her smiling at him. He sighed. "Souka..."

There was a long pause for a while. Wanting to change the subject as well as break the silence, Lacy stretched out her legs. "Gweh... these shoes are killing me." She bent over and took of her nice sandals and tossed them beside her. "Ah! Much better!"

She wiggled her toes and started to bury her feet in the sand. She stared up at the sky while eating her burger, listening to the waves crashing on the beach. Zoro stared at her without her noticing. He didn't understand her and why she acted the way she did with her family. Then again, he didn't know what happened at home and maybe after hearing what she said, he didn't want to. He heard her sigh and focused on her. He felt memorized at the way she smiled and acted around him. He was glad they ate here instead of the other place; it was almost as if she was reading his mind. It was as if she could read his every thought and this to him, was intriguing... The cool ocean breeze blew in her hair, and he felt a chill run down his spine as she placed a lock of hair back in it's place behind her ear. He blushed, feeling awkward with his newfound feelings.

She stood up when she was done eating and stretched out her arms. "Wanna go in the water?"

"You want to go swimming?!"

"Well, not swimming. Just putting our feet in. We could walk on the beach. Whaddya say?"

Zoro looked up at her for a moment and felt like he had no choice. "Alright."

They picked up their shoes, rolled up their pants, and dipped their feet into the cold water. Lacy laughed at she saw Zoro's teeth clench together as he felt the cold water.

"W-what' so funny?"

She smiled. "You! This is just like the time you were willing to train in the snow back on Drum Island."

"Huh?"

"You know, when you met Chopper and that old witch doctor? You went for a swim and got lost in the snow." She laughed again. "I remember that was pretty funny. Karu thought you drowned and went in after you, but you came up from the water and said, 'hey! There's fish in here! Well, time for a swim'!"

"How do you remember things like that? Word for word?"

She blushed. "I told you, I'm a fan girl of yours. I've watched the episodes enough times to remember all the details. I just pay attention, you know."

Zoro nodded, remember her telling the crew about it earlier. "Hn."

"So... what do you like in a girl?"

Zoro was caught off guard and stared at her. "Why do you want to know?"

She blushed. "J-just curious."

He sighed. "I dunno. Never been interested before."

She blinked. "Before? You mean, you're into them now?"

Zoro's cheeks grew hot. "N-no! Of course not! I mean–" He stared at her curious expression. _Dammit! Why does she have to look at me like that? It makes me nervous... _"Just forget it."

"Alright, if you were stuck on a deserted island with no food or supplies and you could only have one thing with you, what would it be?"

"What kind of a question is that?!"

"I'm just making conversation. One of those deep thinking questions, you know?"

"Why would you ask something as random as that? And why would it be a deep thinking question?"

"Well, my friends and I do it sometimes, to see what our answers are and how we'd act on certain situations. Just to sound intelligent I guess."

He sighed. "You're weird. Fine. My three swords."

"I said one thing."

"Well, they're a collection. I take one, I take all of them."

"Ok. I guess that would make sense. By why your swords? There's no food on the island."

"They're my most valuable treasures. I'll take them anywhere, even if it means starving to death."

Lacy blushed as she was moved by his cool explanation. "Wow..." No one talked for another few moments after that.

Zoro began to feel uncomfortable from the silence. He coughed. "Um... so... what would... you have on a deserted island?"

Lacy smiled at him, thankful that he asked. "Truthfully, I'd take one of my plushies of you."

"A doll? Why? That's worse than my swords."

"No it's not!" She covered her mouth after realizing she was raising her voice defensively. "I-I mean... It's really the only thing that makes me happy and safe."

Zoro looked at her with a confused expression. "How does a doll make you safe?"

"Well, it's of you. Whenever I hear your voice or see a picture of you, I feel happy. And whenever I feel stressed or want to cry, I hug one of my plushies and think of you. That makes me feel strong. It's sort of my way of getting away from the real world of problems. So if I was on a deserted island with only my plush of you, I really wouldn't be alone."

Zoro was caught back. "Why do I make you feel safe? I thought you said we weren't real before?"

"That's what I thought. I mean, you were all just a cartoon; an anime... but still, you guys just made me feel... alive again whenever I felt there was no hope left. My drawings do the same thing. I draw for comfort and to get away form the real world." She smiled nervously and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. "This is silly. Forget about it. So, want to go out for ice cream? I'm still hungry." She walked off fast towards an ice cream parlor in the distance, her feet still in the water. She looked back at Zoro, who was still standing in the same spot. "C'mon!" She waved at him.

_How the hell can she just say those things with confidence? _He thought, regaining feeling in his legs. _Why did she look so sad just then? Do I really make her feel... 'safe'?_

He caught up to her and Lacy bought herself an ice cream. Zoro on the other hand, bought himself some beer at the bar behind the ice cream vendor.

"I can't believe you can drink this late at night!" Lacy said surprisingly, while licking the melting sides of her ice cream cone.

"I'm in the mood for it anytime. Got a problem with it?"

She laughed. "Not at all! I'm the same way with slurpees!"

"Slurpees?"

"You've never heard of slurpees?!" Zoro shook his head. "Oh my God! You have to try one while you're here! They're delicious! It's basically ice and soda blended together to make a cold slushy substance."

"Doesn't sound very good."

"But it is! I'm addicted to them! Ever had a smoothie? Well, it's thick like one, but icy. Like a snow cone."

"It still doesn't sound very good."

She sighed. "You'll just have to try one for yourself."

"Well, what about grog? Ever tried that? I think it's great."

She laughed. "Of _course_ you do! You're Roronoa Zoro, the grog lover."

He raised an eyebrow. "The grog lover?"

"You're always up for a drink."

"Ever tried one?"

She paused and looked slightly away. "Um... I've tried some alcohol before, yes..."

"Hn. You make it sound like it's poison."

"Well, it wasn't the best. It was only 2 drinks and..."

He gave her an evil grin. "You got drunk, am I right?"

"N-no! I admit I felt a little dizzy, but no! I didn't..."

"Then why the long face?"

"I wasn't suppose to drink them."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure what the age limit is in One Piece, but in this world if you're under the age of 21, it's illegal to drink. I'm forced to be a goody-good considering my mom will kill me if I get in trouble. And I worry about her finding out more than facing prison."

"I take it you're not 21?"

She gave him a surprising look. "Of course not! I'm still in school! How old do you think I am, Zoro?!"

"I dunno... 15?"

"15?! _15?! _You're not serious are you?!"

"What?" He noticed she looked sad. "Ah...! What'd I say?!"

"I told you guys in the beginning that I'm 17 almost going on 18. I'm the same age as Luffy and Usopp. You really thought I was a kid?!"

"I guess."

"Zoro!"

"What?"

She sighed. "Never mind..." She looked at him for a moment, then laughed.

"Ok, what's so funny now?"

"You just look... funny."

"Funny?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah."

He sighed and went back to drinking his grog like he was in a hurry. _Why?! Why does her smile always get to me?! I swear it's killing me inside! I've got to do something about this!_

It was about 3 in the morning when they decided to walk home. It wasn't the "perfect" date or a typical date for that matter, but Lacy was just happy to be with him and had a conversation. She thought she made excellent progress. At least she hoped... They finally arrived back at Lacy's house and stopped in the front yard.

"Why are you still here? N-not that I'm complaining or anything, but aren't you tired?" Lacy asked him.

"I'm not going to let you walk home alone this time of night."

She smirked. "Worried about me?" She teased.

"No, but Nami will have my head if she found out I didn't walk you home."

She lowered her head in disappointment. "Oh... I see..." He continued to walk her to the door. She opened up the screen and the front light came on. "Well, thanks for everything tonight. I had a great time."

"Yeah. It wasn't so bad."

She smiled softly. "Well... good-night..."

She turned to walk to the door when she was suddenly snatched by the arm. She was swung around and faced Zoro. He quickly bent down and gave her a gentle kiss. Her face turned red and her eyes flew open in shock. _Roronoa Zoro... is kissing me?! _He cupped her cheek with one hand and rested the other on her shoulder. She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch and she could taste the alcohol still lingering on his lips. His kiss was soft at first, giving her a warm sensational feeling tingling throughout her body. When their lips parted, Lacy's eyes were still closed and her mind was still off in some dream.

"Good-night." She opened her eyes. Zoro's face was as red as hers and we stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. "I'll see you tomorrow night then?"

She nodded a bit, trying to slowly return to the real world. "Uh– yes! Yes. Tomorrow." She smiled as if nothing happened. "Only this time I'll be there at my normal time since there's no rehearsals on Sundays."

"Kay. Ja." He walked away, his hands still in his pockets.

She waved back at him. "Oyasumi... Zoro..."

She gently opened up the door so it wouldn't make a sound and she crept upstairs into her room. After she closed the door silently behind her, she fell on her bed and squealed into her pillow. _OH MY GOD!! I KISSED ZORO!! No... Even better! HE KISSED ME!!_

That night, neither Lacy or Zoro could fall asleep. All they could think about was that kiss.

Zoro smiled to himself as he lied in his hammock. "Heh. Well _that's _something I'd never thought I'd do..."


	5. Ch4: Life's a Stage, Dream the World

_**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE **_This chapter goes pretty fast, I know, but once again this chapter's really old and I'm trying to get the story moving faster so we can get to the adventurous stuff Just a side note, the part in the story when it talks about me singing in the play, that was true. w I wanted to prove that I can somewhat sing and did so in my last play Senior year. It was Shakespeare's _As You Like It_. Eh heh heh... this is a little... intimiate as well. Nothing R rated mind you, but still... O/////////O

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**CHAPTER 4: Life's a Stage, Dream the World **

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Sunday went by faster than Lacy wanted. She snuck off with Zoro to the park and sat and talked about different things. Every once in a while, she would laugh at Zoro since he was doing things she never thought he'd do. He would just grunt and turn away from her. This time when they parted, he shyly kissed her on the cheek. She knew in her mind this was unlike him; being with a girl and all. She knew it would take time before they could be together always.

That Monday during rehearsal, Lacy kept gleaming even when everyone made fun of her blonde ways and she just took it all in with no response.

"_Now_did you make out with a guy?" Kiara asked her again on their break in between acts.

"For the last time, no! I'm just... in a good mood."

"But you're _always_in a good mood! You're Lacy! But your smile the past few days is different. I think discovering love has made you... giddy."

She laughed. "Giddy? Me? No way! I'm just really excited to be with this guy."

Her friend beamed at her. "That's right!! You guys were together on your first date! How was it?! Tell me everything!!"

They jumped on the counter in the girls dressing room where they were alone and shared some pizza a soda that was provided for the actors.

"Ok. First we went to see fireworks–"

Her friend interrupted her. "Ooh! Did you guys cuddle?"

"Sort of. He were close since it was cold, but that's about it."

"Did he put his arm around you?"

"No. It was ok though. It was his first date too so like me, he didn't know how to react."

"It was his first date too?! So you found an inexperienced man, eh?" Kiara pouted.

"It's not that bad! It's complicated to explain... It'll all make sense once you meet him."

"If you say so... Ok, go on. What happened next?"

"After the fireworks, we went out to eat–"

"Where did you go?"

"Uh..." She paused for a moment, pretending to think about what the restaurant was called. _Crap! I can't tell her about eating from a vendor! But I don't want to tell her about going to that one place Nami suggested... I'll just tell her we went to a place I like that's semi casual. _"He took me to the Olive Garden."

"Olive Garden? Wow! It's a nice place. Good choice!"

"Erm... Then we sat on the beach and talked. We even walked on the beach with our feet in the water. Then we had ice cream and he took me home."

"So?" Her friend looked at her with a curled smile.

"So what?"

"Did he kiss you?" The eagerness in her eyes was scaring Lacy. It made her blush and giggle. "Oh my God! Did he?! He did, didn't he?!"

She nodded. "When we were saying good-bye he did."

"Wait, was it a friendly good-bye peck on the cheek or full on lips?" Lac smiled and shies her face away, giving her friend the answer she needed and wanted to hear. She squealed really loud. "OH MY GOD, LACY!! YOUR FIRST KISS!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!" She reached over and gave her a giant hug.

Lacy gasped for air while laughing. "Heh heh. T-thanks, Kiara-san."

She let her breath and leaned close to her face. "How was it?"

She gasped and felt embarrassed. "Kiara-san!!"

"Heehee come on Details girlie!"

Lacy blushed again, a darker shade of red this time. "Um, well... It was..." She sighed and smiled wide.

There was a knock on their door. Their friend Kaleb peeked his head in the room. "Yo! Director says we're on in 5! Get ready for act 3, scene 1."

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2 weeks went by and it was already opening night for drama. The curtain opened and the play went on as smoothly as everyone hoped. In between scenes, Lacy would peeked her head out and try to find Zoro or any of the others. She sighed when she didn't see anyone. _Well, they said either tonight or tomorrow... _

"Yo, Lacy! You're on in 2!"

She turned around from behind the curtain and saw her friend Kaleb signaling her. "Got it. Thanks."

As the play went on, it was time for her to play her role: the singer. She felt nervous; singing in front of lots of people she didn't know or didn't know her. She spotted a few of her friends in the crowd as they watched her in awe. It was strange; she was singing well - she thought - for everyone and in a dress, something she's never done before. But that's why she accepted the part: to prove to people she_ could_ sing, though wearing the dress was a perk... one her friend's would enjoy while she suffered in the ugly yellow dress provided for her.

After the play was over and everyone bowed, it was time to go out and meet the audience and have cookies and punch. Like many of the others, Lacy went out into the crowd and hugged a few of her friends and fellow actors and actresses in her costume. She turned around to go see her other drama friends Kiara and Kitty, until someone caught her eye.

"Oh my God, Lacy!! You can sing?! And in a dress?!"

Her old childhood friend and another member of "the gang" ran up to her blonde friend and hugged her. Her names was Rita and she had long wavy brown hair and brown eyes with unique stylish clothing on. She wore a white long sleeve shirt with the end of the sleeves hanging long by her hands. She wore plain jeans and tall high-heeled brown boots with furry lining around the top. She was known for her hoard of jewelry that she wore among her friends. She had huge think hoop earrings and a ton of gold necklaces and chains around her neck. Her fingers were covered in thick and petite rings that could easily leave an imprint on anyone's face if she punched you. Like Lacy, she was one of the "comic relief" members of the group.

"Eh heh heh, thank you." Lacy blushed.

"How come you've never sang before?" Julie asked, walking up behind Rita.

"You kidding me, Julie? I don't sing in front of people."

"Then why did you sing in the play?"

Lacy smirked. "To show up American Idol!"

They all laughed. "Well, you did great! What are you doing now?" Rita asked.

"Wait wait!" Julie interrupted. "We've GOT to take a picture of Lacy in a dress first!"

They both laughed while Lacy blushed. "N-no you guys! I don't think so!"

"Relax." Julie shooed at her. "We don't even have cameras with us. But we've got to get home. My mom's bitchin' about my curfew lately."

"I've got to go too." Rita added sadly. "I've got to get up early for work."

"Ok, take care you guys and thanks for coming! Have a great weekend!" Lacy hugged her two friends one more time and the left the room. She could hear her name being called out by Kiara, and she began to follow the voice. But she froze as a tall man with green hair caught her eye out one corner of the room.

"Zoro!!" She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I didn't think you'd come!"

He was wearing his regular black and green pants with his original bandana tied around his left bicep like always, but he had a dark blue buttoned up shirt on that made him look more gentlemanly, as Lacy described it.

"Well, I wasn't going to until the others came, but when they all said they were going to go tomorrow, I decided to go tonight."

"Why did you come alone?"

He sighed. "Because with the others, they'd all annoy me and say stupid things about us."

She giggled. "Thought so. So where were you in the crowd? I didn't see you."

"I hung out in the back." He pointed at one of the doors in the back. "All the seats were taken, so I had to stand. I was leaning against one of those doors."

"Oh! Well that explains why I didn't see you. You must've been standing behind a cameraman; our first performance is always recorded for the video productions class." She blushed shyly. "So... what did you think of the play?"

"It almost put me to sleep."

She laughed. "Well, I don't blame you. Not everyone can enjoy Shakespeare. Plus it's not one of his most exciting plays... We should've done something more comical or dangerous."

"_You_were good. Never knew you sang."

She blushed. "T-thank you. _No one_ knew I could sing. I just volunteered for that part in the play to sort of... 'prove' myself that I can."

Zoro scratched his cheek. "Well, you... you did good."

"Lacy-chan!" Kiara came up behind her and patted her on the back. "Who's this?" She froze for a moment in shock, then let out a little laugh. "Is this your boyfriend dressing up like that Zoro guy? The one you like from uh... One Piece? Is that what that anime's called?"

She nodded her head. "Well, you're almost right." She looked up at him. "This _is_Zoro."

She raised an eyebrow. "Um... ok. Nice to meet you, Zoro." She said in a nervous voice, trying to be considerate for her friend's sake.

"No, really! This is the guy I've been dating for almost a month! Zoro! Roronoa Zoro!! He's real Kiara-san, you've got to believe me!"

Kiara stared at him for a long time. He just took a step back and looked nervous, like he was waiting for her to attack him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! Say something Zoro."

"Like what?"

She gasped. "Oh my God! It sounds like him!"

"It_is_him!"

Zoro sweat dropped. "I barely said anything..."

"Ok then, do your little sword thing."

He raised an eyebrow. "My sword thing?"

"You know, you have 3 swords don't you? Do a technique if you're really Zoro."

"Ooh! Do you're tornado attack, Zoro. The tsunaki! That'll convince her." Lacy smiled.

He sighed. "You seem to be enjoying this..." He sighed "Fine."

"I'm sorry, Zoro. But it's hard to believe you're real. Remember when I first saw you and everyone else?"

"Everyone else?" Kiara repeated.

"Long story short, the rest of the One Piece gang is real too!"

After a while Lacy's other drama friends Kaleb, Vic, Kitty, and Phal went out back as soon as they heard Zoro was real. Zoro took out his three swords and got into fighting position. He closed his eyes and tried concentrating for his attack.

"This guy is really that Zoro dude you're obsessed with?" Asked Phal, leaning down to whisper to Lacy.

She nodded. "Yeah! He's really real!"

Her friends Vic and Kaleb laughed. "Well, real or not, at least he knows how to hold a sword. But in his mouth?"

Her other friend Kitty, who was also somewhat of a One Piece fan, had her mouth hanging open. "That's Zoro?! You're kidding, right?!"

"Ssh!" Lacy tried to settle everyone down as soon as she noticed Zoro's eyes had opened. He spun around and released an incredible amount of energy and yelled out his tornado technique. A whirlwind spun around his body and flew into the sky and slowly disappeared. When he was done, Lacy ran over to him and kissed him on the cheek and apologized for having him do that on the spot.

"Forget it. Do they still think I'm a fake?"

They turned to look at everyone with their jaws wide open.

Lacy had a huge smile spread across her face. "Uh... so, do you believe me now?"

"But Lacy!" Kitty yelled. "I thought he was only in an anime! You never told me he was real! Does that mean Shanks is real too?" She asked, referring to her favorite character form the anime.

"I didn't know... Shanks might be real. I'm not sure."

"Can we go now?" Zoro said coming up behind Lacy. "They're all staring at me like I'm some dolt. It's really annoying."

"Heh heh. Ok. I'll go get changed."

"You're coming to Denny's with us tonight, right Lacy?" Asked Vic.

"Sorry, I can't. My mom said not until next week."

Kiara let out an angry sigh. "Your mom always ruins your fun! She's such a pain!"

"I know... But I'll be there next Saturday, ok? And at the cast party."

She gave everyone a hug and her friends left for the night, however, Kiara and Phal stayed behind.

Kiara giggled. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She pulled Lacy to the side.

"Well? What do you think?" Lacy asked before she could say anything

"Oh my God, Lacy... he's... _real!_Does that mean all the animes are real?"

"I'm not sure. I was shocked when I discovered One Piece was real. I think our worlds collided or something."

Kiara pouted. "Darn it... I was hoping Kenshin would be real."

She laughed. "I'm sorry, babe. If I find out that anyone from the anime 'Rorouni Kenshin' is real, I'll definnitely let you know! But I didn't expect this to happen, you know? Please don't tell anyone else. It could cause... problems. I only told you guys because drama's like my second family. I know you guys will keep this on the down low..."

"Heh heh. You can count on me. Man! Is he _cute_ in person! You were right about him being mega built and all!"

Lacy blushed. "Heh heh. I know! He's so hot"

Meanwhile, Phal decided to have his own side conversation with Zoro.

"So, Roranoah Zoro, is it?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "It's _Roronoa_Zoro."

"Ah, sorry. Look, you _better_take good care of Lacy, got it? If I find out that you hurt her in any way or make her cry, I swear I'll hunt you down and deal with you myself!"

Zoro smiled evilly. "Oh will you? A fighter then, eh?"

Phal kept a serious expression on his face and in his tone. "Yes. I go hunting a lot, so I have a nice collection of knives and guns at my house."

"Do you know santoryu?"

"What?"

"Three-sword style?"

"No."

He snickered. "Then you don't stand a chance against me."

Phal's neck knotted and he gritted his teeth. "I don't _care_if you're more advanced than me or not! Hurt her and you'll pay! Got it?!" Zoro closed his eyes and walked past him. Phal turned around and grabbed his arm. "Hey! Do you hear me?!"

"You don't have to worry."

Phal leaned closer as if he didn't hear Zoro clearly. "What?"

"I said you don't have to worry. I... I'm not going to hurt her. Ever."

He continued walking, leaving Phal alone in thought. Lacy and Kiara heard them shouting and ran over to them worried.

"What's going on here?" Kiara asked, looking at Phal.

Lacy walked over to Zoro. "Zoro? Is everything ok?"

"It's nothing." The girls turned their attention to Phal. "We were just having a chat man to man. Right, Zoro?"

Zoro smiled. "Yeah. Man to man. Nothing to worry about." Zoro turned around and grabbed Lacy's hand. "Let's go."

"U-um... Ok. Bye Kiara-san! Bye Phal-kun! See you all tomorrow!" She waved at them and exited through the theater doors.

Kiara looked back at Phal. "Something's not right. What did you guys talk about? I know you were arguing with him." Phal shrugged and walked the opposite way from her. "Phal!"

"I told you it's nothing."

"Phal, listen to me. Give up on Lacy. You had your chance and blew it. You became something she disliked and did nothing but invade her personal space. Maybe if you weren't so forward with her about... certain things, she'd probably be with you still. But she's moved on, why can't you?"

Phal's face turned red with fury. "I AM moving on! There's just some feelings hanging behind, alright?!"

Phal crossed her arms. "Pretty strong ones at that. Or... perhaps you're just jealous that Lacy found her true love?"

"There's no such thing."

"I beg to differ..." Phal looked back at her and saw her serious expression. He knew she was pissed at his behavior. "Look, are you coming to Denny's with us or not?"

He sighed and stalled for a moment before answering. "I dunno. Probably not. I'm tired and want to sleep..."

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy had Zoro wait for her outside while she changed out of her costume. When she came back out, she was wearing her loose baggy shorts with a tight navy blue shirt on. She was wearing flops and carrying a bag with her extra clothes and stage make-up in it. Her face was plain since she washed all the make-up off for the night.

"Ready?" She asked him.

"Sure."

They walked together towards her house. They talked about the play and what he thought about her friends and then Phal's name came up...

"Are you ok, Zoro?"

"Yeah. Why do you keep asking?"

"Because you've had a serious look on your face ever since you talked to Phal."

"About him... who is that guy?"

"Phal? He joined drama last year and works stage crew. We've become pretty good friends."

"How good of friends?"

She knew what he was getting at and started to understand a little bit of what they might have talked about. "He... had a tremendous crush on me over a year ago. The summer going into my junior year, he asked me out. I don't know why, but I said yes. I think it was because I wanted someone to talk to and hold when I felt sad or needed protection. I wasn't using him or anything, it was just... nice to finally have someone around who cared about me like that. He's a good friend like I said and still is, but..." She sighed. "About 2 months after he asked me out, he broke up with me. I was actually going to break up with him first because of... certain complications, but I wanted to try and work things out. It was no use though. Everyone, even myself, got mad at him for his stupid reasons for breaing up with me. He's the kind of guy who needs attention and... 'fun'. And since I've never been in a relationship before, I didn't know how to react and wasn't giving him what he wanted. So you see? I don't have feelings anymore for him - though I do feel a bit sorry for him - but he still has feelings for me. All I ever wanted was to feel needed, you know?"

"You keep mentioning these complications he had with you and that he needed 'fun'. What does that even mean?"

Lacy shied away, a little embarrassed with the subject. "W-well... he had a weird and disturbing obsession with... b-breasts."

"Breasts?!"

She nodded. "He always made jokes that weren't funny about my breasts and breasts in my artwork whenever I drew women. He wasn't really perverted, just intrigued by that body part to the point where it was just plain annoying and embarrassing."

"Why the hell would he go on about that kind of thing?!"

She shrugged. "I don't know, he's just that kind of perverted guy. I found out later on after we broke up that he wanted to sleep with me."

Zoro's jaw dropped. "W-WHAT?!"

"Eh heh... yeah... sick, really... but later we somehow managed to work things out and became friends. After that, everything seemed fine between us."

"Yarou...!"

"Um... What did he say to you?"

He sighed. "He threatened me is all."

"Typical." Zoro gave her a quick glance. "He did this when another guy was trying to get with me. His name was Chris and thank GOD Phal chased him away! He was so annoying and stupid! And he use to stalk me sometimes. Eeeww...!!"

"Souka..."

She gave him a worried look. "You look unhappy."

"It's nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing really... just thinking."

"I'm not like that, you know."

He looked at her. "Like what?"

"I don't go prancing around from boy to boy. I just attract the... needy, perverted, and understated boys. It's one of the many reasons why I've never had a real boyfriend."

"You don't have to explain anything to me. I get it."

Lacy looked back in front of her and sighed to herself. She felt sad that he didn't want to talk to her anymore about it. _Did I make him mad? I hope not..._

When they finally reached Lacy's house, she stopped short on the driveway.

"Doushita?" Zoro asked.

"Weird... My parents aren't home. There's no cars in the driveway."

She unlocked the front door quietly and snuck inside. She gestured Zoro to follow her into the kitchen and she turned on the light. On the corner of the table was a yellow piece of paper. It read:

Lacy,

We left for Anne's tournament for the weekend, We'll

Be back late Monday afternoon. There's been a change

In plans; Holly decided to go with us, so you're on your

Own for the weekend. Here's a list of chores for you to

Do while we're away and only one friend may spend the

Night. Let the dogs out and check their water bowls please.

Hope the play went well. We'll see it next weekend.

Love, Mom

Lacy smiled. "Sweet! I forgot my sister had a travel ball tournament in Lancaster! I have the entire house to myself!"

"So you're happy you're away from your parents, eh?"

She rubbed the back of her head. "Heh heh. Yeah. This is vacation time for me."

"You looked upset when you read the note. I noticed that."

"R-really?"

"Why?"

"Well... I'm upset with my parents. They're not really into the whole drama thing. I have to pretty much remind them and beg them to come see my play. They didn't see my last one because they had 'better' things to do... it's depressing."

"I thought you don't like your family?"

"I don't, but I'm stubborn. I like to think there's still hope somewhere in them..."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Gomen."

She smiled. "It's ok. I'm just glad you came! That meant a lot to me, really! Thank you! But this is vacation time for me, so I'm gonna enjoy it."

"So, can I... be the one friend to spend the night?"

Lacy looked and Zoro with a surprising look. _Zoro staying the night? Alone with me? W-what is he thinking? What am I thinking? _"S-s-sure!" She tried to respond in a happy manner. "I-I'll go get an extra pillow. Do you want to sleep in my sister's bedroom? Wait... the pink might scare you... Well, you can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep in my parents."

"Ok."

They walked upstairs together and Lacy grabbed an extra pillow and some heavy blankets from the cupboard. She led him into her room and spread out the blankets. She switched pillows with her own and walked into her parents room with it and her own blanket.

Zoro scanned her room with curiosity. It was almost what he had imagined from her personality. The walls were painted blue with a black border, posters from movies and anime were pinned to the walls, dragon and Egyptian antiques were displayed on shelves while books upon books covered a wall on bookshelves, and plastic bins were filled with mangas and DVDs. On her desk were binders full of her drawings and the rest of the unsorted and unfinished drawings filled the drawers up nice and tight. After scanning the room a few times, he knew it felt like a tomboy's room and suited her childish-like nature perfectly. He was satisfied.

"Here's the light switch." Lacy said, walking back into her room. "And this is the switch for the fan. My alarm clock has the time on it case you want to know. The closest bathroom's just at the top of the stairs, so you can't miss it, and... that's about it. Any questions?"

"Yeah. What the hell are those?!" He pointed at her movie stand with 6 plush dolls sitting on it.

She blushed. "O-oh those! Heh heh. They're my Zoro plushies! From different series too."

Zoro picked one up and examined it. "These don't look like me."

"Yes they do, in chibi style anyways. They're not suppose to look identical to the real thing. They're suppose to look like this." She smiled and picked up the biggest plush of the bunch and brought it into her parents room. "This one stays with me. He usually sleeps with me since he's bigger so I won't squish him."

She smiled and adjusted him next to her pillow. She went back into the hallway and grabbed some extra blankets for Zoro and placed them neatly at the end of her bed. "So, are you hungry? I think we might have some–" When she was about to turn around the corner, Zoro came up behind her and hugged her with his arms wrapped tightly around her chest. "Z-Zoro?!"

"I'm not hungry."

"O-oh! O-ok. Um..." She tried to keep calm; her heart was beating fast and her cheeks turned red. "T-then are you thirsty? My dad might have some beer if you–"

"I'm not thirsty."

Zoro turned Lacy around and cupped her cheeks. He stared into her eyes and gave her a kiss. It was similar to their first kiss: gentle and slow. But then she felt his tongue forcefully slip itself in. He leaned her back on the bed and hovered over her.

She felt extremely nervous, experiencing both her first intimate kiss and being overpowered by a man. She pushed him away gently. "Z-Zoro! W-what are you doing? I-I thought–"

"I can't."

She looked at him confused. "What?"

He blushed. "I can't stop thinking about you. You're like a parasite in my mind and an itch in my thoughts. All I can think about is your smile. Why? Why do I feel like I'm suffering when you're not around? I've never felt this way before. I think it's..." He paused for a moment, as if he found something he had lost for ages. "I think I... _love_you. So much it hurts."

Lacy turned her head away. "This is unlike you, Zoro."

"I know." He licked his lips. "Around you, I like it."

His mouth dove onto hers and kissed her with a hungry passion. She shut her eyes tight, not knowing how to react especially when her feelings were all mixed up. _Wait...! What... do I do? I want him to do this to me. I've dreamed of this moment, but I'm scared... I've never experienced something like this before, I'm too inexperienced! But... I don't know. I love him, but I'm scared at the same time! _She tried to relax, but it was difficult. Just then, she felt his hand trailing slowly up her outer thigh...

She moved her head away from him. "Z-Zoro! I–" She opened her eyes again. She felt lighter now... then she realized Zoro had sat up and sat at the edge of the bed with his hands hiding his face. "Zoro?"

"I'm sorry." She stared at him with wide and confused eyes. "I don't know what came over me. My body just reacted on it's own. I'm no better than that damn cook if I'm trying to overpower a woman."

"Zoro..."

"I'm disgraceful for doing what I just did."

She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Zoro. Listen to me, you're not disgraceful. I... don't mind."

He looked at her in surprise. "What? Why?"

She blushed and squeezed him. "I... want you, out of all the men in the world, to be with me like this."

"But why?"

"I've loved you for what feels like my whole life even though it's been only a few years and I just found out a while ago that you were real. To see each other again or not, I want you to love me."

He waited for a moment, replaying those words in his head. He was not an indecent person, and he felt as though doing something like this was going to make the both of them suffer. Then again, _not_doing this would make him suffer as well...

"I don't want to do this to you."

She smiled at him. "_I_ do. I'm not forcing you to do anything. But just so you know, I choose you. No one else shall have my heart other than you."

He turned his head away for a moment, trying to decide internally whether or not he should continue. She pulled herself around him and kissed him. He was happy she did, it was like she was helping to make his decision. Their lips departed and he hugged her.

"You're cute like this, Lacy."

She giggle a bit. "Did I hear you right? Did Roronoa Zoro say the word 'cute'?"

He chuckled. "Hn. Guess so. Gonna do something about it?"

She blushed and whispered into his ear. "Maybe..."

Turned on by her soft voice, he kissed her quickly as he leaned over her on the bed once again. She opened her mouth wide to him, feeling more comfortable about this than before. He ran his tongue over hers, rolled in and out, exploring. She dropped her hands to his chest, just lightly placing them in front. She didn't realize that his shirt was unbuttoned.

She lost it. Her nerves went ecstatic as she scanned his built, dark body. She stared at his scar across his body, finally seeing it up close. She remembered the dramatic fight that gave him the scar and how horrible it was for her to watch. She touched his scar, knowing the significance behind it and how it helped make him grow stronger. She couldn't help but run her hands along his smooth, warm skin of his chest and his shoulders, shivering slightly at how good it felt to touch him.

They did nothing inappropriate, but an innocent, loving make-out session. After a long while of them kissing each other, Zoro rolled onto his side, pulling her onto him. She gave a blissful sigh without thinking and held him tight. She buried her face in his shoulder and took a deep breath. They lay there for what seemed like a long time.

Zoro stroked her hair. "Lacy?"

"Hm?"

"Are you... ok with all of this?"

She smiled shyly. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean... about tonight. I've been acting like such a forceful jerk and the whole thing with that Phal guy earlier--."

She looked up at him. "Forget about it. Everything is in the past. I love you."

He kissed the top of her forehead. "Oi, could you... not tell the crew about this?"

She blushed. "What?! W-why would I?!"

"Just say we stayed out late or something if anyone asks, because I know Sanji and Nami are going to give me shit about this."

She laughed. "I wouldn't tell them about this! That's like telling someone they kissed their mom! No one wants to hear about that. It'll be our secret from them."

He chuckled. "Where do you come up with these crazy random things?"

"I don't know. It must be from all of the perverted guys in drama that soaked into my brain. And we're _definitely_not telling my family about this! My parents would freak and kill me! Just pretend Kiara-san came over or something."

He nodded "you got it."

She smiled and rested her head on his chest. They slept next to each other the rest of the night with their bodies close to one another.

Ever since that night, Zoro was never the same. He was more open to her than anyone else and only showed his true feelings around her since he still thought he had a reputation to worry about with the rest of the world. Besides, he was Roronoa Zoro. He doesn't ever fall in love.

...At least that's what he wanted the public to think for now...


	6. Ch5: Meet the Parents Or Else

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTES **_Some of the things that happened in here are true... well, with how my parents react around new people. This is pretty much how they'd react in real life if this ever happened... Unfortunately though, towards the end of this chapter is something my parents have actually done to me on a couple occasions in real life... embarrassing, humiliating, and depressing I know, but thanks to my friends in real life, I got by and miraculously survived the Hell hole. :) What am I talking about, you ask? Well, read on! XD

---

**CHAPTER 5: Meet the Parents... Or Else**

---

Though she smiled more frighteningly each day at school, Lacy never revealed her secret to anyone about her and Zoro's... loving night; not even to "the gang", whom she told everyone everything to. Phal acted differently and seemed to be avoiding her. She didn't mind it much, although it was frustrating when he would enter a room and see her there then leave or not say hi. Closing night was sad for everyone. They all seemed to be crying since friends and close ones will be leaving. When the play was over and everyone cried some more, they all eventually met at the Cast Party that lasted til 3 am.

When Lacy woke up that next morning, she found Zoro leaning over her.

"Yo."

She popped up. "Zoro?! What are you doing here? How did you get past my parents?"

"They're gone. There's no cars outside."

She looked out from her window and scanned the front. Like Zoro said, there were no cars. "Hmm... strange... I think my sisters have another softball tournament. I'm pretty sure that's why."

Zoro placed a note in front of her face. "I found this on the floor as I came in."

She took the note from him and unfolded it, reading it to herself. "It's from my mom. It just says they'll call later this afternoon and she wants me to do some chores. Figures." She sighed and tossed the note into her trash can.

"How come your sisters are always at softball and not you?"

She sighed. "I actually do play and have been for nearly 14 years, but my sisters are in travel ball and high school softball."

"Why aren't you playing then?"

"I quit the softball high school team after my freshman year because the JV coach is an ass and would only make me score keeper. The Varsity coach wants me, but I've refused to play these past three years because he's also an ass. That's why our school's always losing no thanks to horrible coaching. So for now until I graduate form school, I play for the adult league. It sucks though since it's not as competitive..."

Zoro whistled. "14 years, huh? You must really be into the sport."

She nodded with a sad smile. "I am. A lot. But as I get older it becomes more and more complicated. Oh well. With my family gone, it gives me some free time. It also gives me all the time I need to fully focus on drama."

"So what now?" He asked.

"Wait just a second. Why are you here?"

He looked at her in surprise. "What? I'm not allowed to see you?"

"Y-Yes you are! But you've never greeted me in my bed before and..." Her eyes widened as she stared at herself in the mirror across from her. "OH MY GOD!! I look terrible!!" She quickly pulled the sheets over her head. "Don't look at me!! Go away so I can change!!"

Zoro sweat dropped. "Since when do you worry about your looks?"

"I-I don't! But I smell from the play and food and stage make-up! Plus my hair's all stale and oily from the hair spray... just go away for a minute!"

He pulled the sheets away from her and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "You look fine."

She blushed. "Liar! I'm a mess."

He chuckled. "Ok, you _do _look... ratted."

"Gee, thanks. Look, just give me 10 minutes to get ready. You can turn on the tv or find food if you want until then."

He pouted. "Fine. I'll wait for you downstairs."

She sighed. "Thank you."

She took a quick shower, got dressed, and ate breakfast together with Zoro. Once they were full and ready for the day, they walked together to the Going Merry, where everyone else was waiting for them. The day went by fast and it was already getting late for Lacy. Zoro, like always, walked her home; but this time it was different. When they kissed each other good-bye, her mom was standing out front waiting for her. When they went their separate ways, Lacy froze in her steps and waited for her mom to speak.

"Who was that?" She asked her daughter in an excited voice.

"U-uh... he's uh... a friend."

She crossed her arms. "A pretty close friend if you ask me. I saw you two kiss. Who is he, Lacy?"

She sighed, knowing she had no choice but to tell her. "He's... my boyfriend."

Her mom's eyes grew wide. "You're boyfriend?! When did this happen?"

"A while ago. Last weekend." She lied. She had to. Knowing her mother, if she said it was really for almost 2 months, she would have her head.

"Why didn't you say anything? How were we suppose to know you have a boyfriend?"

"I'm sorry. I kept forgetting to tell you."

Her mom looked pissed. "Is that what you've been doing this whole time? Hanging out with him?"

"Y-yes."

"You _know _my rule about boyfriends! I have to meet him first before anything happens."

"But mom–!"

She interrupted. "You know the rule."

"But I've never had a real boyfriend before and now that I do, I can't even hang out with him?!"

"It'd be a different story if you didn't leave the kitchen a complete mess!"

She let out a deep sigh and clenched her fists. "I'll do it now. I was going to anyways." She was trying to hold back her anger.

Her mom sighed angrily. "You always say that, Lacy."

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"I have to _what?!"_

Zoro looked at Lacy in surprise. They were laying together on their backs on the Going Merry. It was a beautiful sunny day and so they decided to spend it basking in the sun on the ship.

"I'm sorry! She caught us! If we're going to hang out, especially with less sneaking around, you have to meet my parents."

He let out an angry grunt and rested his head on his hands. "This is going to be a disaster."

She sighed. "I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault, baka. From everything you've told me about your mom, she may be my greatest challenge to overcome."

"Maybe... but we have to make up a story."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't say 'Hi mom, this is Zoro. You know, from the anime One Piece? Yeah well, he's real and he's a pirate who kills people with 3 swords.' See?"

He sweat dropped. "Ok, I get your point. So what _should _I say?"

"Well, you have to basically be like any average guy your age in this world."

"And that would be...?"

"You're 19. So you're a freshman in college - you're a student at... CSU - and you can't drive yet."

"CSU?"

"Yeah. It's a University, top of the line college in the area basically; a school for adults. It's where you go after you graduate from high school if you want a career in life. You could be majoring in Japanese and weaponry. Oooh!! You could pretend you're learning about mercenaries and all that stuff since you train and have weapons! Like you're in the army or something!"

"Um... ok..."

"Let's see... your job can be–"

He jerked his head towards her. "I have to have a job?!"

"Well, a fake one, of course. Now let's see... Let's make it simple and easy to remember. You can work at a sword shop in the mall."

Zoro sighed. "Fine. Works for me."

"You used to go to my school and you were born here in town - that'll make it easy - and you've lived here your whole life. Oh! And for the place your living at now for school, you live with roommates in a house by the beach."

Zoro looked lost as he tried to remember everything. "O-Ok... So I work for a sword shop, go to college so I can become something military related, no transportation, living with friends, born here. Anything else?"

Lacy blinked, surprised he remembered. "I think that's about it. You're going to have to make up some other stuff in case they ask you personal information."

"Like what?"

"Like... you're favorite school subject or your family."

"School subject? I liked the sword fighting sessions. And I don't have any family."

"We don't have any kind of weapon subjects here. So P.E. will be fine."

He raised an eyebrow. "P.E.?"

"Physical Ed. It's workouts and sports."

He closed his eyes again like he was falling asleep. "Kuso. This is going to be troublesome."

"I'm sorry..."

"Well, when is this suppose to happen?"

"My parents are having you over this Friday. It's not a dinner thank God, so it'll be sweet and short... hopefully. Luckily my folks don't have any free time for a long while, so I managed to convince my mom for a visit. What are you going to wear?"

"What am I going to wear? You're kidding, right?"

"You can't wear those clothes! No one wears those sort of clothes around here unless you're either gothic or a cosplayer."

"I don't understand what you just said, but I'm not wearing anything else. I like these clothes."

"Well, at least change your shirt and don't wear the haramaki."

"Now I _really _hate this." He grunted.

"I'm swear I'm not trying to make you something your not! Really! My mom's just this anal bitch who questions everyone!"

"Why can't I just meet them as I am then?"

Lacy knelt her head in shame. "It's complicated with my parents. Well, at least my mom anyways. She's a Nazi perfectionist and if something's not right, then everything's wrong to her. So if this meeting isn't to her 'satisfaction', I don't think she'll let us see each other."

"Fine. I'll do it this once." He rolled over with his back facing her.

She smiled and laid next to him with her hands in his biceps. "Thank you. I'll make it up to you, I swear it."

He wrapped an arm around her and sighed. "I'll hold you to that."

--------------------------------------------------

Friday. The day Zoro and Lacy dreaded for the whole week. When he came over, it was just her dad that was home. Before he came into the front door, Lacy waited for him out front. She was happy to see him wearing a nice buttoned up green quarter-sleeved shirt along with his normal black and green pants and no haramaki or swords.

Lacy sighed. "Ready?"

"I guess. It better go well considering I'm wearing that damn cook's shirt."

She laughed. "You're what?! That's Sanji's shirt?!"

"Yeah." He spat.

"Heh heh! No wonder it's quarter length! It's a little small on you, huh?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. It's tight."

"Isn't your original shirt tight?"

"Yeah, but this one suffocates me like hell, especially in the arms."

She giggled. "Well, I think skin-tight shirts make you look sexy." He blushed.

"Lacy? Who are you talking to?" Her dad came out front wiping his hands on a towel.

"Dad, this is Zoro. My boyfriend."

He held out his hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you Zoro."

"Likewise, jii-san."

"Huh?"

Lacy's eyes widened. "I-It means sir in Japanese, ad. Eh heh heh!!" She leaned over otwards Zoro and whispered quickly into his ear. _D-don't say jii-san! Just say 'Mr. Joseph' and 'Mrs. Joseph' when my mom arrives, ok? It's weird saying anything other than that in this world!" _

"_You're kidding, right?" _He mumbled.

"If you don't mind my asking, is Zoro you're real name?" Her father asked.

"Yeah."

"Hm. That's a different name. Well come on in! My wife should be home in a few minutes. Why don't you show him around, Lacy?"

Zoro and Lacy looked at each other and smiled. What her dad didn't know was that Zoro was quite familiar with the house already. She showed him around anyways, telling him what her dad had done to the house and a few things he didn't know. They sat in the tv room talking quietly to each other as they waited for her mom to come home.

"You're dad's nice." Zoro commented.

"Thank you. I love my daddy. You only have to worry about my mom and _maybe _my sisters. Eep! I forgot to tell you that you need to change your last name!"

"Why?"

"Since I tell everyone about you - you know, my obsession, of course - everyone knows who you are. So if you say your name is Zoro Roronoa - we say it that way in this world, well and this country, - they may ask suspicious questions."

"Great. Then what the hell am I suppose to say?"

"If they ask, just make up the first name that comes to mind and stick with it."

"What about Zoro Wandou?"

Lacy stared at him for a moment. "Wandou... Wandou... Oh! You're sword's name! The white one, right?"

He nodded. "How are your sister's going to act around me? You don't say much about them."

"Oh. Well... My youngest sister Anne will be quiet most of the time. She's pretty much keeps to herself unless there's an opinion she wants to give. My other sister Holly might ask you a few weird questions. And she's really girly and giggly, not to mention a little too forward and embarrassing... so beware. Just take your time with answers."

They heard the door close in the next room and they heard an angry voice calling for her sisters. They already knew it was Lacy's mom.

"Welcome home, mom." Lacy said nicely as they entered the kitchen. "How was your day?" Zoro could tell she was trying to kiss up. Or was it the way she always acted around her?

"It was alright. Too much to do."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Um... mom? This is Zoro. Zoro, this is my mom."

He held out his hand politely and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Mersus Joseph." Lacy slapped her hand on her forehead, hoping her mom wouldn't notice the completely wrong wordsshe had told him earlier to say.

She shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Zoro. When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago." Lacy answered for him quickly.

"So how old are you, Zoro?" Her mom asked, leaning against the counter.

"Nineteen."

She looked surprised. "Really? You look older for your age."

"I... get that a lot."

Lacy giggled and her mom smiled. "So are you and Lacy in any classes together?"

"Uh... no. I go to... college." Zoro hesitated, trying to remember the college Lacy told him about.

"Oh, here in town?"

He nodded to the familiar sound of the name. "Yeah. A first year."

"Do you live close by? I didn't see a car out front."

"I'm still learning how to drive. I live by the ocean with some friends."

Lacy's heart was starting to beat fast.

Her eyes grew wide. "Really?! How did you get here then?"

Lacy quickly responded. "One of his friend's dropped him off. He goes to CSU." She glanced at Zoro. He gave her a slight smile, thanking her for the save.

"Well, Zoro. What do you want to do after school?"

"I uh... want to do anything that involves weapons."

"Are you interested in going into the army or something?" Her dad walked back into the house. Apparently, he overheard the conversation.

Zoro switched his attention to her dad. "Something like that, yeah. I like combat."

Her dad chuckled. "I can tell from the way you're built. You work out often?"

"All the time."

There was a long silence. Lacy kept looking back and forth from her parents to Zoro. "S-so, Zoro? Are you thirsty or hungry? We have water, soda, milk, and juice? And we have chips and dip to snack on?" Lacy ran inside and fumbled through the fridge and walked out back with two water glasses and chips and dip. "We're going to talk out back, is that ok mom?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm going to pick up your sister from practice. I'll be right back."

After she left and her dad went back to working on the yard, Lacy let out a giant sigh. "Phew!! So far so good, right?"

"Yeah. Luckily there weren't any trick questions."

"I know."

"Thanks for a save back there."

"Well, I had to. That way it didn't seem suspicious with you hesitating for a long time. And oh my God, Zoro!! You were... amazing! You answered so... so..."

"Accurately?"

"Yes!! I can't believe you remembered the stuff I told you!"

He scratched the back of his head. "I'm not that slow, for crying out loud."

"Eh heh heh. Sorry."

"How was I for your mom?"

"I think you did really good. She looked impressed for the most part."

"What about your dad?"

"I think he likes you. He was in wrestling in high school, so he likes strong guys."

"So he trained too?"

"Yeah. He trained me for wrestling a couple years ago."

"_You _were in wrestling?!"

She blushed. "Eh heh. Yeah. For a couple years, then I broke my thumb and had to be out for half the season during my second year. The experience was fun. It helped me become stronger."

"I see." He reached for a handful of chips. "Am I allowed to leave now?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to ask my mom when she gets back." They heard the slide door open and out came her younger sister. "Oh, hi Anne! This is Zoro. Zoro, this is my youngest sister Anne."

She smiled and waved a bit. "Hey."

He smiled back at her. "Hi."

"You look like that one guy Lacy likes."

"You mean Roronoa Zoro from One Piece?" Lacy responded casually.

"Yeah, him."

"He looks like him, doesn't he? Pretty close resemblance."

"Yeah. Well, mom called and said she's going to start dinner when she gets home." She went back inside and shut the door behind her.

"She seems nice." Zoro said.

"I told you she was quiet for the most part."

"Yeah. She looked shy."

"Yeah, she's like that."

They chatted for several more minutes until the screen door opened again, more forcefully this time and out came out Lacy's other sister.

"HI!!" She said in a squealing voice.

"Hey. Zoro, this is my other sister Holly. Holly, this is Zoro."

"Hi! Is he your bif, Lacy?"

She blushed. "Yes."

"Bif?" Zoro asked, confused.

"It's short for boyfriend. It's how my sisters and I say it." Lacy replied.

"Who does your hair?" Her sister asked. "It's interesting how you chose green!"

"My... hair?"

"Holly's into cosmetics." Lacy explained. "She's good at hair and make-up."

"Lacy! Time to set the table!" She heard her mom call from inside.

"Is he eating with us?" Holly asked.

"No. In fact, he was just leaving, right?"

Zoro nodded. "Yeah." They both got up and walked inside. They knew that the sooner Zoro was gone, the sooner everything will be back to normal.

As they walked through the kitchen, Lacy made a quick announcement. "Mom! I'm going to walk Zoro out front!"

She peeked her head out of the side of the kitchen. "Oh, you're leaving already?"

"Yeah. I just wanted you to meet him. "Lacy answered for him.

"It was nice meeting you, Mersus Joseph." Zoro waved at her.

"It was nice meeting you too, Zoro."

They walked outside and as they walked up the driveway, her dad caught them.

"Are you guys leaving?"

"No, Zoro is." Lacy answered.

He waved at Zoro. "Ok. Nice meeting you, Zoro!"

Zoro waved back. "You too, Mr. Joseph." _Oh sure, remember the proper name to call my dad, but not my mom... _Lacy sighed. When they got to the top of the driveway, they turned to each other and began to whisper. "That went really well." Zoro commented.

"Yeah, I'm glad. Just walk to the end of the street like you're going to meet your friend to pick you up or something, then go."

"Ok. We can hang out now, right?"

"I'll let you know as soon as possible. I have to see if my parents 100 approve first."

"Takkun... Fine." He lifted her chin up with his knuckle and kissed her gently. "See you later then."

Lacy smiled as she watched him walk a bit down the street. She walked back down the driveway where she found her dad smiling.

"You guys looked cozy."

She blushed. "D-dad!!"

He laughed. "He seemed nice. Are you guys going to do anything tomorrow or something?"

"Don't know yet. I want to. I gotta ask mom."

They both walked together inside the house and found her mom waiting for them in the kitchen while cutting up onions.

"Did his friends come to pick him up?" She asked her daughter.

"Yeah. He's meeting them at the end of the street."

"Did he kiss you good-bye?" Holly asked.

Lacy blushed. "N-none of your business!"

"He seemed ok." Her mom commented.

"Does that mean I can hang out with him tomorrow?"

"We'll see, Lacy. I'm not really sure--"

Her eyes widened. "Why?!"

"He's in college and–"

She interrupted. "So?! He's only 2 years older than me! It's not like he's in his mid 20's or anything! And I'm going to be 18 in a couple months!"

"He was pretty rude earlier, too."

"HOW?!"

"Calm down, Lacy! When you offered him something he didn't even say thank you."

"Ok... and that's a problem? He didn't say 'thank you'?"

"He just seems too old for you."

Her blood boiled. "BY 2 YEARS!! I'm almost 18, mom! You and dad are 10 years apart!"

"Don't raise your voice to me like that!" She snapped. "Now you _won't _see him until school's over!"

"But that's another month, mom!!"

"I'm not even sure if you should be hanging out with him at all."

"WHY?!"

She looked pissed. "Did you see his hair?! It's an ugly green. Is he a thug or something? Is he in a gang or is he gothic?"

"MOM!! First of all, gothics wear black all the time! Only his pants were black! And secondly, just because he has green hair doesn't mean he's in a gang! People have different color hair at my school all the time!! Look at my hair, mom! I have blue tips!"

Her mom ignored her and went back to work. "You have chores to do tomorrow anyways. We'll talk about this later."

Without thinking, Lacy slammed her fist on the counter. "That's not fair!! You said we could hang out this weekend if you got to meet him!!"

"Well, I changed my mind!! Did you take a look at this kitchen?! Well?!" Lacy just looked at her with low eyes, trying to hold in the rest of her anger. "This kitchen was a pigsty!! You do everything half-asked! If you just did everything right the first time, you would have the whole day to do something!!"

"Not true! You _always _give me more chores to do! EVERYTHING I do isn't enough if I want to hang out with anyone! I _always _have a price!! I can never just go somewhere and do things later!! It's always _now _with you!!"

_SMACK!!_

Lacy's mom whipped her hand across her daughters face. Lacy wanted to block it, but it was hard when her mother would just probably try again. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, trying to hold back the angry tears forming in her eyes.

"DON'T YOU _EVER _TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!! _I'M _THE ADULT HERE!! AS LONG AS YOU LIVE UNDER IN _MY _HOUSE UNDER _MY _RULES, YOU WILL DO EXACTLY AS I SAY WITHOUT QUESTION!! YOU WON'T DO ANYTHING FOR A LONG TIME UNTIL I SAY SO!! NOW GET UP TO YOUR ROOM AND GO TO BED!! YOU DON'T DESERVE DINNER!!"

As Lacy was about to stomp up the stairs, the front door flew open and in walked in a tall dark figure.

"W-What are you doing here?!" She asked, shocked to see him again. She bit her bottom lip hard and tried to wipe away her tears and make her eyes look normal rather than puffy and red.

Zoro bowed low to her mom. "Please forgive my behavior. I didn't mean to cause you trouble."

Lacy's eyes grew wide when she witnessed Zoro's actions. "Zoro, don't! I-it's ok, really." She knew he was lowering himself in his pride as he bowed and apologized; it was unlike him and she knew it was degrading his standards. But... why?!

Her mother looked embarrassed and shocked. "Zoro! Were you listening?"

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation since it was loud. I'm sorry."

"Well, I'm sorry you had to hear that." Her mom softened her voice, trying to sound like the innocent victim there.

Look held onto the stair railings skaing nervously. "Zoro, you can leave now. I'm fine–"

He looked up at her mom with hard eyes. "I love your daughter very much, Mersus Joseph. I don't know what I would do without her. Please let us see each other? At least sometime soon?"

Lacy blushed and covered her mouth with her hands. Zoro never looked at her, he kept staring at her mom with serious expressions. "Zoro..." It was so unlike him that it was making her heart ache. He's being courteous, bowing, apologizing, and all on his own. It was out of character for him.

Her mom shifted uncomfortably. "Well... I'm very flattered to hear that, Zoro. I'm sorry again you had to hear that, but please stay out of our business."

Zoro bowed again. "I will. I'm sorry." He turned and walked out the front door, closing it without ever have looked at Lacy. She stood there staring at the door, hoping Zoro would come to take her away with him. _Anywhere but here is better... _

"Lacy!" Lacy walked slowly back toward the kitchen when she heard her mom calling her. "Now I'm the bad guy, huh?!"

She looked up at her in shock. "What?! I didn't do anything–"

"Now he heard how much of a bitch I can be, right? It was nice he apologized and said those things about you, but you're still not going to hang out with him for a while. You're grounded! Now get to bed!"

Lacy ran upstairs and slammed her door behind her. She fell onto her bed with her face in the pillow, her tears falling uncontrollably now. She screamed into her pillow and tried to catch her breath.

"_It's not fair, dammit!! It's not fair!! " _She shouted into her pillow. _"That bitch!! That fucking bitch ruins everything!! What will Zoro think of me now?!" _She grabbed one of her Zoro plushies and curled into a ball with it tight in her arms. "Zoro..."

_Klink! Klink!_

She heardrocks being thrown at her window. At first she thought she was imagining it, but then she heard a rock miss and hit the roof instead. She looked out her window and froze. Zoro was outside hiding in their plum tree with rocks in his hand.

She opened up her window and whispered loudly out to him. "Zoro! What are you still doing here?!"

"I came to see if you're alright, baka!"

"B-but if my parents catch you out there, you'll–"

"I don't care!" In a blink of an eye, he jumped up onto the roof next to her window. There was a little platform that Lacy would sometimes sit on that he now stood on. She looked back at her door to see of her parents heard anything and were coming upstairs to check on her. She quietly took off her window screen and laid it down against her wall. She peeked her head out the window so she could get a better view of Zoro.

"You shouldn't be here! They might catch you!" Her voice was still at a loud whisper.

"I said I don't care."

She knelt her head. "Zoro... I'm so sorry you had to hear that. I hate it when my mom yells so loudly the entire neighborhood could hear–"

Before she could finish her sentence, Zoro cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb against the red skin. "Daijoubu ka?"

She blushed. "Un."

He leaned down and kissed her swollen cheek. "I hope so. That was too much for her to do that to you. I snapped when I saw that."

"Y-you saw that?! Oh God... I'm sorry..." _He was worried about me... _She thought. _He was actually worried about me..._

"Plus she sent you to bed this early without dinner?! What a cruel woman!"

"It's ok, really. She's done this thousands of times."

Zoro's eyes grew wide. "She has?!"

"Ssh!!" Lacy reminded him about keeping his voice down. "Yes. So I'm used to it."

"That bitch! That's not right! Here..." He fumbled through the shirt pockets looking for something. He then pulled out a handful of tangerines. "Have these."

"Where did you get those?" She asked, surprised.

"From across the street. Sorry there isn't much. These were all the ripe ones I could find. They were a snack for the walk home, but I think you need them more than I do."

"Aww... Zoro, I can't. It's a long walk for you home, you'll need them. I told you she's done this before; I'll get by."

"Don't be stubborn. Take them." He placed them in front of her. She sighed and held out her hands to receive the tangerines.

She smiled. "Thank you. This is really sweet." Zoro lowering his head in discomfort. "What's wrong?"

"You don't smile much when you're home, huh?"

She knelt her head again. "No. I guess not. That's why I'm always trying to get away from here."

"You cry a lot, don't you?" Lacy's head popped up. "I can tell you do. You always have that miserable look on your face whenever you have to go home."

Her face turned red with embarrassment. "So? I'm fine. I cry because I'm mad. I don't want sympathy from anyone about it."

"Don't get upset with me, Lacy. I'm not giving you sympathy, I'm giving you concern."

"I'm sorry... I just don't tell anyone about it is all, remember?"

"You should."

"Why?! It'll just make me look like a dramatic crybaby in front of everyone."

"Is that what people will think if you tell them? Is that it?"

"Maybe."

He paused for a moment. "This is why you don't tell your friends about your home life, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He sighed and wrapped his arm around her bringing her close to him and keeping his balance with the other. "I hate seeing you cry. My chest ached when I saw you like that." Lacy started to cry again, touched by his words and embarrassed that he had to witness her home life. "See? You're crying now. Just stop."

"I-I can't help it! They... they just come. I've done it my whole life, so there's no controlling it. I look like a weakling in front of you now..."

"Baka. You're trying to be strong. Crying doesn't make you weak."

"I'm sorry..."

"Stop apologizing."

She nodded. "I'm s– I mean... Ok..."

He pulled her away and rubbed her cheek again. "You'll be fine. Until we can be together, I'll meet you here every night at midnight. I promise. Whaddya say?"

She nodded, wiping away her tears. "Really?"

"Of course. I need to see your smiling face everyday. You're going to make me suffer as well."

She chuckled. "Ok. Every night at midnight then."

"Good." He leaned down and kissed her softly. He smiled and waved good-bye to her as he jumped onto the ground. She waved back at him, smiling until he disappeared behind the bushes and ran away from her house.

She looked down at the tangerines in her hand and started peeling the skin off of one of them. "You're so sweet, Zoro... I love you so much... My Zoro..."


	7. Ch6: Graduation Class of 2005

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_As you can tell from the title, these chapters where written in 2005. XD Loooooooooong time ago for me it seems like... I combined two chapters here since they were both really short. It's kind of like a "filler" chapter, if you will. Oh! Just in case you're curious, Lacy taught Zoro over time what certain things were like cars, video games, TV, etc. So he's sort of up to date with her world's machinery and lingo... sort of. X3

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**CHAPTER 6: Graduation - Class of 2005**

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Like Zoro promised, every night for as long as her punishment took he visited her house at midnight, bringing her food from Sanji and news from the Straw-Hat pirates. A few times Lacy skipped a couple classes to join the Straw-Hat crew, but when it was time to come home Zoro would visit her. And whenever he came over, they'd cuddle in her bed together and sometimes make out. After a couple weeks which seemed like forever, Lacy was finally let out of her room and free to do as she wished (with the rule of chores first, of course). Her mom was more relaxed about her meetings with Zoro as long as she rolled over and obeyed her mom's every word. It was moments like these she was grateful her mother was forgetful when remembering conversations and past events.

It was late one night. Lacy's parents just the left the house, leaving her all alone for the night. They were going downtown to cruise the Gas Lamp shopping/bar center then spend the night at a nearby hotel with another couple. The clock struck 10pm. Lacy waited impatiently for Zoro to arrive.

"I thought I told him 9:30pm... he better not be sleeping..."

_Ding Dong!_

Lacy rushed over to the door and practically ripped it off as she opened it to see Zoro standing there, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically. "You're late!"

"Sorry. I had a hard time getting away from the ship."

"It's ok. I'm just glad we finally get to be alone in the first time without my parents around!"

"So, what do you want to do first?"

"Well, are you hungry? I haven't had dinner yet."

"Sure. Wanna go out to eat or just stay here?"

"I'll cook us something."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You? Cook?"

"Hey! I can cook pretty good, you know! Mine may not be a good as Sanji's cooking, but I can still make a meal and leave the victims alive and well, thank you very much!"

"Ok ok, we'll eat your cooking."

She grinned. "Thank you!"

Lacy cooked her usual chicken and rice meal for them since it was really the only ingredients she had in the house. They didn't do anything special; no candle lite dinner, no romantic slow music. Just a normal dinner with their usual conversations about friends, problems, and past memories. As they finished their plates, they entered Lacy's room where they could cuddle with each other and talksome more.

"If we watched a movie right now, you're not going to fall asleep are you?" Lacy asked.

"Maybe."

"Whuh?! C'mon! You gotta stay away for this one!"

"What is it?"

She held up the movie, beaming with excitement. "!"

Zoro paused for a moment. "No."

She fell over. "What do you mean 'no'?! You don't even know what it's about!"

"It doesn't look good."

She grumbled. "Says you... you're not even giving it a chance..."

He fell back on the couch with his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. "I'm not really in the mood for a movie."

She leaned over him. "But your in the mood to sleep? Like usual?"

He opened an eye. ""

She sighed, finding it a little disappointing that he wasn't the typical boyfriend who wanted to watch movies and go shopping and the other things couples are suppose to do. Then again, her relationship was abnormal to begin with, so she let the movie watching go. She laid on top of him with her elbows propped up on his chest. "Alright mister I'm gonna be lazy, let's talk then instead."

"Ok, about what?"

She smiled. "Well, I really want to learn how to sword fight. Will you teach me?"

"Sure, but do you have a katana?"

She pouted. "No... my mom won't let me have any... but I could practice with one of my friend's for now I guess. I need a sword... We'll have to find a day to train too. Oh! We should also plan to have another date or something! Just the two of us for a romantic evening away from everyone."

He grinned. "You just jump from subject to subject don't you? But now that you mention it, I've got something going one for us..."

Her eyes widened. "Really? What is it?"

He laughed. She looked so cute with her curious expressions. "Well, I've actually got something planned for you on a certain day."

"Hontou?!" She asked excitingly. "When?"

"Hn. You'll have to wait."

"Agh! Dammit!" She buried her face in his chest in disappointment. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you excited?"

"About what?"

"You're graduation at the end of the week?"

She sighed, pausing for a second. "Sort of."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"Well... I'm going to miss everyone. We're all going our separate ways and it's hard to say good-bye when you've known someone for a long time. My drama class has become my family practically."

Zoro squeezed her. "You'll be strong. I know it. You'll just have to keep in touch with them."

"Yeah. You're right."

"Think about it though. You'll have lots of time spending your summer with your friends. Aren't you happy about that?"

"You bet I am!! Not only will I be free, but I'll have time to spend with you too!"

"Well then, I'll take you to the beach sometime."

Her smile widened. "Promise?"

"Promise."

She turned to face Zoro and snuggled in his embrace. He was so warm...

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Finals were over. Lacy got the day off that Wednesday since it was a Senior "turn-in" day for all Seniors who were turning in books and making up work and tests. The house was silent. Of course, Lacy took this opportunity by calling Zoro over to swim in their pool. It was very hot, so they practically spent the whole afternoon playing in the pool. Lacy taught him all the pool games she played with her friends while growing up. They raced, fought, played basketball and keep away, played Marco Polo, talked, and kissed. It was a perfect moment before the big day.

"What are we going to do tomorrow, Zoro?" Asked Lacy as she and Zoro got out of the pool and dried themselves off. " We won't be able to hang out at all! _Maybe _for a couple hours, but that's it!"

"Well, didn't your parents say I can come with you guys for dinner?"

"Yes, but tomorrow I have my Senior breakfast at 7:30am, then grad rehearsal from 9:30am-11am. It's going to be hot and I'll know I'm going to have to shower again and socialize with my Aunt and grandpa. Then, knowing my mom, we're going to take a hundred pictures til dinner! Then there's grad from 6-7pm and then grad night til 5am the next morning!!"

"Geez, you're so talkative..." He sweat dropped.

"Sorry..."

"Well, it's just one day, right? It's the last day you're going to be together with your friends and schoolmates, so just enjoy it while it lasts. Stop worrying."

Lacy sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night! Not just grad, but grad night!"

"That's only because there's paint ball and DDR." Zoro grumbled.

"So?"

Zoro chuckled. He kissed Lacy good-bye as they walked out to the front yard. Her parents came home, so they reminded each other about dinner and departed.

"I swear, you guys are _always_ together. Why don't you give each other some space for once?" Sighed Lacy's mother.

"We're not always together! We're always _trying _to get together, but things always come up around here."

"And who's fault is that?" Her mother walked into the house and threw her lunch box on the counter. "This kitchen is a mess! What did I tell you about this? Didn't I ask you to clean this up _before _Zoro came over? Pick it up _now_!"

Clenching her fists and retaining her anger, Lacy walked inside the house and quickly cleaned up the dishes her sister's left for her.

--------------------------------------------------

It was finally Lacy's big day. Graduation. She grunted as she had to wake up early to go to Hometown Buffet for her Senior breakfast. She hung out with all 4 other members of "the gang" and went to the graduation practice together. After their rehearsal, they all got their grad night t-shirts, and Lacy was soon picked up later by her Aunt. She then spent the next few hours socializing with her relatives and received graduation gifts. Her biggest gift of all was a laptop computer and printer!! After taking a shower and dressing up for the big night, the doorbell rang and Lacy greeted Zoro with bear hugs and kisses. She introduced him to the family and they all moved to the backyard where photos were taken place. Dinner was served. They all went to Red Robin and celebrated Lacy's achievements. Meanwhile, Zoro was silent almost the entire time and was too afraid to speak in case chaos reeked havoc again in the family. He was also uncomfortable being there, but it was all about Lacy that night and so he beared with it for her sake.

Finally, Graduation. The class of 2005. Lacy smiled up to the crowd where she spotted Zoro and her family in the middle of the ceremony. She was so happy to finally receive her diploma. This was proof that she had served 13 years of school and is now free to live her life as she pleased. She felt important with her diploma as though a huge burden was lifted from her shoulders and her suffering and worrying was over. After the ceremony, she was greeted by family and visiting friends for a few more photo opportunities. They went home so Lacy could change into her grad night outfit. She kissed Zoro good-bye as him, her aunt, and mom dropped her off back at the school. Grad Night was everything she dreamed of; and had an incredibly good time with her drama friends.

That morning, she slept in til 4pm. She was too tired to even see Zoro, or even call him; but she knew he'd understand. She was free. And the best part? The house was mostly to herself and sisters during the summer while their parents worked.


	8. Ch7: Sweet 18

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Another short chapter to catch you all up on being 18...

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**CHAPTER 7: Sweet 18 **

---

"Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"There's something... I got to tell you."

Zoro sat up from the backyard swing and stared at Lacy. "What is it?" He looked puzzled and started to feel nervous.

"Well... it's about this summer."

"Yeah?"

"And... we're going to Idaho to see my Aunt for a couple weeks on July 15th."

"Why does that sound like a bad thing to you?"

Lacy sighed and closed her eyes. "Idaho's a 22 hour drive up north! It's a different state! My parents said you can't come and I can't stay behind."

"What?"

"I begged them! I even told them we could be in separate rooms! Or I could have friends over if I stayed! I'm going to be bored to death up there! But my mom said no since I needed to spend more time with my Aunt and Uncle'."

"Well, I guess that means we'll just have to wait to see each other again."

"You're taking this awfully well!" Lacy turned away from him and huffed.

"Doushita?! I don't think it's so bad being apart for 2 weeks. Maybe you'll like it up there, who knows?"

"But... what if you leave while I'm gone? You said yourself you don't know when you're leaving."

"I'm sure we'll still be here when you come back. C'mon. Cheer up. You can still write me."

"Alright. You'll say good-bye to me though, right?"

"Yeah. I'll even see you off the next day. What time are you leaving?"

"2:30am."

"WHAT?! HELL NO!! THAT EARLY?! YOUR FAMILY'S CRAZY!!"

"It's my dad's idea. I know you hate waking up that early. I'll understand if you don't come."

Zoro pondered his thoughts for a moment. His face twisted in confusion. Then adjusted himself on the swing. "No. I'll be there."

"Really?"

"Really."

Her eyes lite up and she glomped him. "Thank you!"

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Morning came. July 15th. 2am...

"Lacy? Lacy, wake up. It's time to go."

"Hm...?" She grumbled as her mom shook her sleeping body.

"We're leaving now."

Lacy glanced at her clock. "2AM?! But I thought we were leaving in a half an hour?!"

"We were. But your father wants to get an earlier start to beat Vegas traffic. So let's go."

Lacy panicked. She tried to move as slowly as possible to stall some time for Zoro to arrive for her departure. But her mother grew impatient and yelled at her to get in the car. They pulled out of the driveway and rode down their street. Lacy was about to cry until she saw Zoro turning the corner by the mailboxes. She was surprised to see him so early to come see her off. She quickly rolled down the window and reached out for him.

"Zoro!"

"Lacy?! You're leaving already?!" He started to run after the car as it turned away from him up the hill on the street.

"Wait– Zoro! I'm so sorry!!"

"Lacy–!!"

They picked up speed and Lacy was out of earshot with Zoro. He stopped running and tried to catch his breath. He looked up and saw tears rolling down Lacy's cheeks. She blew him a kiss and waved good-bye just before they turned the corner onto another street. He knew why she cried. It was all for him. She would never forgive herself if he left while she was stuck up in Idaho. He prayed that they'd still be here when she got back.

"Lacy..."

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2 weeks went by very slowly for Lacy. She drew tons of pictures of her and Zoro. She wrote him a couple letters about the long trip, how bored she was, and how she missed him terribly and couldn't wait to come home. As the day finally came for their trip home, Lacy counted the hours impatiently until she was reunited with her love after so long. As they arrived home late at night, her mother refused to let her daughter talk or see her boyfriend until everything was unpacked and cleaned up. Lacy hurried, but it was already late at night and her mother said it was time for bed. She sighed, and prayed for tomorrow to come fast.

As Lacy woke up the next morning, she was greeted by her family and wished her a happy birthday. She turned 18 and was now an official adult. But she didn't feel happy at all. Since it was her birthday, she knew her parents wouldn't let her hang out with Zoro until the day after. On top of that, she knew it wasn't going to be a very exciting day since her birthday was the day after their long tiresome trip home. As the day dragged on, Lacy opened her gifts, saw a movie, and had birthday cake.

She sat in the front yard while everyone watched tv inside. Lacy sighed, and wished she could call Zoro. _If only th Going Merry had a phone..._ Just then, she saw a tall shadow in front of her. She glanced up and saw Zoro smiling at her.

"Well? Don't I get a 'hello'?"

"ZORO!!" Lacy leaped into him arms and gave him as many kisses as possible in one breath.

"C'mon. I'm stealing you for the night." Zoro grabbed her hand and had her run with him back towards port where the Going Merry was docked. Lacy's parents flew out the door and yelled her name. She smiled and waved at them.

"I'm going with Zoro to celebrate my birthday!! See ya!"

"You better be home tonight! You're curfew is 1am just this once!! You better be home!!" Her mother yelled back at her. Lacy agreed and noticed an increase in Zoro's speed.

They went to the ocean where Zoro and Lacy walked along the beach. They caught up on things that went on in the past couple weeks. Luffy got in trouble for eating all the meat out of an entire buffet, Usopp got stung by a jellyfish, and Sanji was still his same perverted ol' self as he tried to get together with either Nami or Nico Robin. Lacy laughed at all the events that occurred, until they came upon a dock. It was a long dock with a couple restaurants at the end. It was a perfect spot for them. Zoro pinned Lacy against one of the wooden pillars and gave her hungry, wild kisses. They made out in the sunset with no one to disturb the moment.

20 minutes went by, and after deceasing their kisses to catch their breath, Zoro suggested dinner. They went to a Japanese seafood restaurant called "O-Nami". They pigged out and when they were finished, they walked down the streets for a little while until they came across a garden.

"Wow! The flowers here are so beautiful!" Lacy awed at the scenery and ran over to the roses and smelt them. They walked around the garden for a little while silently, staring at all the different colors and patterns on the plants and flowers. "Which one's your favorite?" Lacy asked Zoro, referring to the flowers.

"My favorite? Um... I'm not a flower person."

Lacy laughed. "Well, neither am I, but I still like to look at all of the colors and designs. Just pick one that's the most interesting looking to you."

He scanned the garden for a moment, trying to find one that caught his eye. He pointed. "That one."

Lacy looked over and found the flower. She laughed again. "Those are called Bird of Paradise. They got the name by their looks."

"They do look like bird heads."

"Heh heh, they do."

"What about you?"

Lacy looked up at him. "Huh?"

"A flower. Which one do you like."

She smiled. "That one's a no brainer." She walked over to a flower bed and smelt one of the yellow flowers growing there. "These kind. Carnations."

"They look so simple."

"Well, sometimes the sweet pleasures in life are the simple things."

He smiled. "You know, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? For me?"

Zoro reached in his back pocket and pulled out a long slender box. He handed her the box and turned his head away slightly as a blush rushed across his cheeks. She unwrapped it and opened the lid. Inside was a black piece of cloth with green shines. "Zoro... this is...!"

"My bandana. It's yours now."

"But, why?"

"For one, you collect bandanas and wear them all the time. Second, you always steal mine and either wear it or wrap it around your arm like me. I've noticed you admiring it. It's yours now."

She picked it up and held it to her face, rubbing it softly against her cheek. "It's a piece of you I can keep with me always. And your scent still lingers ion it." she turned to face him and gave him a big hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"I've got one more surprise for you." Zoro said as they broke apart.

"Another one? How else could you make this birthday any better than it already is?"

He chuckled. "You'll see."

He placed his hand in hers and led her to the other side of the garden. On the bench in front of them was a small box wrapped up like a present.

Lacy walked towards it. "What is this?"

"Go ahead. Open it."

She looked back at him and found him smiling deviously. She looked at the box with awe. She could tell right away it was a box for long jewelry. But of what? She opened it. And there lying on cotton padding, was a necklace with a silver chain and her Kobaiyo symbol on the end in gold.

"Oh my God, Zoro! Wha-- How did you–?"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out. You're always drawing your characters with that symbol on either a necklace or shirt. You wanted a necklace like that in real life; you said so yourself."

"And you remembered?! But I told you so long ago!"

"What? You don't like it?"

"No no!! I love it!! I'm just surprised you remembered, Thank you so much!! What more could I ask for?" She put the necklace on then jumped up and planted a passionate kiss upon Zoro's lips. He returned her kisses as his way of saying 'you're welcome'.

_She's so innocent,_ Zoro thought. _She always seems to have a smile on her face whenever we're together. _He remembered her talking numerous times about her home life and how horrible it was to her. She always seemed to cry at home, but covered up her tears with a happy mask when in public. This, to him, made her strong. But what would she say if he told her they were leaving port in a week? He wanted to tell her as soon as possible, but it was her special day, so he knew it was a bad time to tell her. He feared for her stressful heart. He wasn't quite sure if he'll break it or drown it...

"We should go to the amusement park sometime!"

Her voice brought Zoro back to reality. "What?"

"I said we should go to the amusement park sometime. It's that time of year where everyone starts settling down at the end of summer so there'll be less people, and I think it'd be fun!"

"Sure. Whatever."

"It'll be fun! I promise!"

"Don't you start school soon?"

"Not until August 22. I still have 3 more weeks." She was about to turn around and grab a flower from the garden until she felt Zoro hugging her tight. "Zoro? What's wrong?"

He rested his head on her back, with his eyes closed and an uncertain expression on his face. "It's nothing."

"You sure?"

He wanted to tell her the news so badly, but it was her birthday and he didn't want to spoil it. "I'm sure. Just glad to be with you like this."

She knew something was bothering him, but let it go for the time being. After a few more minutes, they got walked out of the garden and towards Lacy's house so they could get home on time.

When they arrived at the house, Zoro kissed Lacy good-night and watched her close the door. _Kuso. I have to tell her the truth tomorrow._


	9. Ch8: Zoro's News

_---_

**CHAPTER 8: Zoro's News **

---

A couple days went by, and Zoro still had not told Lacy about their departure in less than a week. Every time they were together, it always seemed like a bad time to tell her the news. But now they were alone at a nearby park. Lacy was sitting on a picnic bench while Zoro leaned against the tree next to it. They secluded themselves in a corner of the park. No one to interrupt them. No one to hear them.

"Lacy?"

"Yeah?"

"There's... something I've got to tell you."

"What is it?"

Zoro saw her face smiling up at him. She seemed clueless to his nervousness and waited patiently for him to speak. Her eyes were tearing right through him. Her smile was flaring his stomach. How was he going to tell her the news without making her upset?

"I... we - The gang and I... are leaving port."

"Really? So you finally found out. When?" Her smile faded, but he could still see in her eyes that she was clueless to how soon their departure was.

"It's... uh..." He sat down next to her. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned his face away from her. "Less... than a week."

Silence. Zoro waited impatiently for her response. Nothing. He slowly turned back to her and saw her face frozen. Her eyes looked blank and her body was shaking. He could see tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared almost hypnotically at him.

"Lacy...?"

Her head dropped and her hands clenched into fists. She couldn't stop shaking and she felt sick to her stomach. "Why... so soon...? I mean, why are... why didn't you..." She couldn't finish her sentences. So many things were going through her head. So many things she wanted to say. But she didn't know what to do. She wanted to scream.She wanted to lock Zoro away and hold him forever. She wanted to cry herself to sleep. She wanted to disappear...

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but every time I tried to, it was always at a bad time." He wrapped his arms around her gently, trying to calm her down and try to stop her shaking. But ever so gently, not wanting to kindle her frustration. He was afraid she would push him away or faint. He wanted her to tell him what was going through her mind. Her silence and crying was killing him. "I love you, Lacy. I don't want to leave you, but I'm a part of the crew and I can't leave them. It's not that simple."

"Why not?" She never looked up and kept shaking and crying, avoiding eye contact.

"You know better than anyone else why."

They were silent again. _He's right,_ Lacy thought._ It wouldn't be the Straw-Hat pirates without Roronoa Zoro. _What was a girl to do? She knew he would leave her someday. She knew, but couldn't help to wonder whether or not this was the right thing to do...


	10. Ch9: The Final Departure

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_ This chapter's a little, well... I'm not gonna lie, but it's dramatic. XD Touching, but dramatic. LOL Sit back, relax, and enjoy the drama!

---

**CHAPTER 9: The Final Departure **

---

That following day the Straw-Hat gang was loading up supplies for their long voyage, until they stopped as they noticed Lacy boarding the Going Merry with them, panting and sweating.

"I'm coming with you."

Everyone stopped and stared at the tired blonde carrying suitcases and a backpack on her back.

"Lacy?! What are you doing here?" Zoro was surprised to see Lacy as she was. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Please, Luffy. Let me join your pirate crew." She dropped her luggage and fell onto her hands and knees and bowed her head low. "I'll do anything! I'll be the watch every night, clean everything, watch the ship at ports, drive, anything! Just please let me join!"

"Lacy-chan..." Sanji walked over to her, but stopped as Luffy stuck his arm out to hold him back.

"Can you play music?" Luffy asked her.

"Some instruments, yes. And sing... pretty decent anyways." She stood up now.

"Then you can join!!" Luffy jumped up and down to celebrate the member of his new musician. But his excitement was stopped short when Zoro hit Luffy on top of the head as hard as possible. Luffy pouted. "Why'd you do that, Zoro?! You're so mean!"

"Do you know what you're doing, Lacy?" Zoro asked, ignoring his captain.

"Yes. I want to come with you. If you can't stay here, then _I'll _be the one to leave. Pirating will be fun!"

"Then why are you shaking?"

Lacy felt her stomach churn. She felt like she was going to throw up and it made her feel weak. She fell to the floor and cursed under her breathe. "I-I know what I'm doing! I _want_ to leave with you! I want to be with you, Zoro! I'll sacrifice everything to be with you!"

"Lacy, think about what you're saying. You'd be leaving your friends and family behind. Your career as a manga artist would be ruined. Do you really want to give up your dream?"

"To be with you? Yes!"

"You know that's not what I meant."

There was a slight pause. "I'll still be able to draw. School is just for other jobs you might want to take. I already know what I'm going to do and already have the skills to do it. My parents are always beating and screaming at me, so will I really miss them? And my friends? I can write to them and call them. I only got to hang out with them at school anyways. My mom was controlling like that..."

"Your friends mean everything to you though."

"I-I know! I'd do anything for them! But at the same time, I want to be with your always! And can't risk not seeing you ever again..."

"Lacy –"

"Let her come. If this is what she truly wants, then let her."

"Nami! You have NO say in this!" Snapped Zoro.

"Please..." Lacy was now shaking more than ever and lost it, vomiting in result. She fell over onto her side and passed out.

Everyone was shocked and ran over to her. Chopper informed them that she had been suffering from a lot of stress and that she'd be fine after some rest. Knowing she was going to be alright, Zoro picked her up and took her to the girl's cabin and placed her on the bed.

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Night came, and everyone was resting for their departure the next day. Zoro watched over Lacy a bit and rubbed his fingers gently over her cheek. He then sighed, straightened his back, and picked her up.

"Sorry, Lacy. But we both know what is the right thing to do."

He turned around and saw Luffy standing at the edge of the stairs. "I'll grab her things." Zoro nodded, thankful that he understood his decision.

They both walked to Lacy's house and set her gently on the front porch with a blanket wrapped around her and her things by her side.

"C'mon, Zoro. We gotta go before the navy catches us!" Luffy started running back to the Going Merry. But Zoro stayed behind for just a moment to take one last look at Lacy's face.

"I'm so sorry. I wish you could come." He kissed her cold lips and ran his hands through her hair one last time before getting up. He ran after Luffy who wasn't that far ahead of him.

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Lacy opened her eyes.

She sat up and watched Zoro and Luffy run around the corner of her street. She got up and left a note for her family on the screen door and ran the opposite direction of the guys. _No way am I staying here without Zoro. I AM coming with them, whether it's the right thing or not. _She knew a short cut to port that was slightly quicker than through the main street.

When she arrived at the ocean, she saw no sign of Zoro or Luffy. She knew they were parting tonight and they were going to part with her onboard. She silently swam in the freezing water without trying to make a noise from her splashing strokes. She saw the rope to the anchor and climbed up. _It's a good thing I learned how to finally climb a rope_. She peeked over the side of the ship and saw that the coast was clear. She quietly pulled herself over and pulled a piece of orange and black striped rope she took from her dad's shed out of her huge pant pockets. She tied one end on a hook over the side of the ship near the back. She made a big knot half way down and threw the rest of the rope over the side and climbed down it. She rested her body on the knot to keep her from falling if she ever lost her grip. She could hear Zoro and Luffy's footsteps on the ship shortly after she threw the rope over. She could hear Zoro pulling the anchor up and Luffy giving Sanji the order to leave. The boat rocked and Lacy tightened her grip. She listened as hard as she could for any conversation over the crashing waves against the boat.

As the Going Merry got further out to sea, Lacy could see how small the town looked. She sighed and began to shake again. _I know what I'm doing. This will work out. I know it will..._

"What's wrong with Zoro?" A familiar voice spoke onboard and Lacy froze.

"He's acting like a jerk, that's what's wrong." It was Sanji and Chopper.

"Leave him alone you two!" Nami was now in the conversation.

"Hai! Nami-swa!"

"Listen, he's going through a tough time, alright?"

"Why is he sad, Nami?" Asked Chopper.

"He's leaving his lover behind."

"Lover?"

"You know," Sanji started to explain. "A lover. Someone to talk to. To hold, kiss, cuddle, love, protect... like me and Nami-san!"

She sweat dropped. "Oiya Sanji-kun..."

"So Lacy was his lover, Nami?"

"Ee. They were pretty close. I've never seen that side of Zoro before, every time they were together..."

Their footsteps became faint, and a door closed. Lacy climbed up on the rope to peek over the edge and found Zoro the only member on the deck. His hands were set firmly on the bar with his back to Lacy. She stared at him for a moment; thinking about how they can finally be together forever. But Her thoughts stopped short, when she saw Zoro's shoulders begin to shake.

"Lacy..."

He was crying! She has never seen him cry before. Ever! Except that time when he lost against Mihawk. She heard him whimper a bit and could tell he was trying to hold back his tears. She saw him wipe his face as she sat back down on the knotted rope; and wept herself.

Later that night, Lacy woke up to the sound of someone climbing up the crow's nest. She didn't even realize she fell asleep and still hanging on to the rope with her feet and hands wrapped around for security. Whoever it was, he/she was being pretty noisy. As the noises finally stopped, Lacy saw a pair of antlers sticking out of the crow's nest. It was Chopper's turn to watch over the Going Merry tonight. _Oh, Crap!_ Lacy thought. _He can see me at that angle!_ She waited impatiently for the right moment to swing over the side of the ship. But when she tried to move, her body wouldn't budge; it was numb form the cold. She was freezing from her wet soggy clothes after swimming in the ocean to get onboard. Lacy tried warming herself up by breathing on her arms and hands and rocking her body quietly on the rope. After being able to move enough to try and hide, she climbed up the rope and pulled herself over the side. She untied the rope and set it in a pile next to the cabin. As she tried to silently walk around the cabin corner, she fell hard onto her knees. Her legs her stiff from the cold and weren't in any condition to walk. She turned around to see Chopper scurrying to see what the noise was. Lacy crawled as fast as she could around the corner and waited for Chopper's reaction.

"Hmm... I wonder what that was... Ah!"

Lacy gulped and froze. _I'm caught! He spotted me!_

"The hook fell off the side of the flag. I hope it didn't wake anyone up."

Chopper turned back and continued to watch over the ship. Lacy peeked around the cabin and saw only Chopper's antlers sticking out. She sighed, and took off the bandana she was wearing to wipe up her water trail her clothes left while trying to hide. She then rested her head on the wooden floor and curled up into a ball and fell slowly to sleep.


	11. Ch10: Crime and Selfishness

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Yet another dramatic chapter. XD I've been watching too much anime, not to mention reading too much shoujo mangas... Darn you Yuu Watase and your wonderful, sappy, dramatic, lovely romance stories! TT.TT FYI, I do my best to indicate who's talking, but the only one in the crew who uses "chan" or "san" is Sanji. Robin uses "San" as well, but she indocates who the person is, EX: "Navigator-san" equals Nami, etc.

---

**CHAPTER 10: Crime and Selfishness **

---

It was a beautiful new day and Sanji was already up early preparing breakfast. Usopp opened the door to the deck and stretched out his arms with a loud yawn.

"Aaah! What a sunny day! ...Huh?" He spotted a wet black and orange rope lying on the floor near where he was standing.

"Hmm. Strange... we don't have any rope aboard this color..." Something caught his eye. He could see the corner of a navy blue rag peeking out from the back of the cabin. He walked over to it and gasped. "M-M-M-M-M-Minna!! Come quick!"

Everyone came outside and stood behind Usopp.

"Why are you yelling so early in the morning?" Yawned Luffy.

"Look!!" Usopp pointed at the limp blue body curled up on its side.

"LACY?!" Everyone yelled.

"LACY-CHAN?! Oi!" Sanji rushed over to her body and tried to wake her up. But no response.

"She's numb! Her body's frozen from the cold night air!" Nami pointed out.

"Not just from that. Her clothes are damp." Added Robin, noticing her wet soggy clothes.

"What's all the commotion?" Yawned Zoro as he walked out onto the deck by everyone else.

"It's Lacy! She's frozen!!" Explained Usopp.

"NANI?!" Zoro pushed his way through the crew and stood in shock at the cold body. "Nan– Lacy!" He knelt down by her and tried picking up the blue body. But it stayed in a ball.

"Quick! Turn on the heating pad on my bed, Sanji-kun! Robin and I will get some hot towels!" Nami ran inside with Robin and Sanji following closely behind.

Zoro brought Lacy downstairs fast and placed her under the covers. Nami came downstairs carrying a big tin bowl filled with steaming hot water while Robin brought down the towels. After everything was in place and some color was coming back into Lacy's cheeks, everyone settled down.

"Don't worry," Chopper began. "She'll be alright."

"How did she get here?" Zoro asked frantically.

"I don't know." Replied Nami. "But from what I can see, she must've swam her way to the ship and somehow climbed up."

"I think she climbed up with this." Usopp took out the rope he found earlier.

"She must've wrapped it around the bar of the ship and climbed up over the side; but from the ocean?" Questioned Sanji.

"It's possible. She just needs rest and plenty of heat to keep her warm." Chopper explained. "Once her body's back at it's normal temperature, she should gain consciousness again."

"Will meat help her?" Asked Luffy.

"You're an idiot..." Responded Nami as she and everyone else walked out the room; everyone that is, except Zoro. He knelt by the bedside and held Lacy's cold hand.

"Doushite, Lacy... Why did you come back?"

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After a long while passed, Lacy finally woke up. _What happened...?_ She popped up, noticing she wasn't on the deck. _Oh no! They weren't suppose to see me yet! Am I on the Going Merry still? Did they turn around and send me back?_ She scanned the room and recognized all of the familiar furniture. _This is... the girl's room._ She got up out of bed and stopped as she noticed she was in different clothes. Pajamas, actually, but who's? Obviously one of the girls' and most likely Nami's since they were about the same size. Robin was too tall and busty. She wrapped a blanket around her and threw on some slippers that where set at the end of the bed. She walked upstairs and when she opened the door, she was caught back when walking in on lunch.

"Lacy-chwa!" Sanji ran over and gave Lacy a big hug. "I was so worried about you!"

"Oi... Give her some breathing room, she just got up" Usopp pulled Sanji off of her and brought him back to the table.

"Um... H-hey everyone." Lacy finally spoke.

"How do you feel?" Nami walked over to Lacy and felt her forehead and her cheeks.

"Better, thank you. What happened?"

"We found you stone cold on the deck." Answered Robin.

"Oh, that's right! I fell over and I guess I dozed off..."

"How did you get onboard?" Zoro was leaning against the front door with his arms crossed and a serious look on his face. Everyone went silent. Lacy stared at him for a minute, then walked slowly over to him.

"I climbed aboard." She answered firmly, standing her ground.

"When?"

"Last night, after you dropped me off back at home. I grabbed my father's rope and swam to the back of the ship and climbed on."

"What about your things? Your luggage?"

"I hid them before you took me back. The suitcases that Luffy carried were filled with useless junk."

"Why did you come back? I left you home for a reason."

"What reason?! So we could both continue our lives in heartbreak?!" Now Lacy was getting upset and raised her voice at him.

Zoro yelled back at her. "You know damn well why you had to stay! You were leaving your entire life behind!"

"I'm 18 now, Zoro! I'm old enough to make my own decisions and I decided to come along!"

"You can't survive out here! You're artwork is at stake! Now you've gone and thrown it all away!"

"I threw it all away for you! What is this to you anyways? Is this something to do with pride and domination? What about love for once, huh? Ever thought about us staying together?! Not just me or you alone?!" She was beginning to think she was acting dramatic and even a little corny, but it's what she felt from the heart.

Zoro fell silent. Everyone was frozen in the back of the kitchen and no one dared to say a word. They all thought it was strange for them to act so close when they have been only seeing each other for a few months.

Lacy broke the silence, but in a calm, sad voice. "Don't you even want me here, Zoro? ...With you?"

He stared into her eyes for a moment. He had a million things buzzing wildly around in his head. But instead of listening to his thoughts about what to say or do, he grunted and walked out; slamming the door.

"Lacy... chan..."

She stood there staring at the door. Her face was as serious as when she was talking to Zoro. But a tear rolled down her cheek.

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The day dragged on while Nami and Chopper was tending to Lacy's needs to get her health back to normal. Usopp was on deck creating new bombs for his slingshot, Robin was sitting in a lounge chair reading a book, and Luffy was sitting on the railing, fishing. Sanji walked out on the deck and found Zoro training in the back of the ship. He noticed Zoro looked different with his training than before. His movements were more forceful and his face seemed twisted and upset.

"Oi."

Zoro ignored him and kept on with his training.

"I said 'oi', marmio head."

"What the hell do you want?"

"Take a break. I need to talk to you."

"_You_?! Want to talk to _me_?! Don't make me laugh!"

"I'm being serious, dolt! Now get over here and drink some ice tea."

Zoro grunted as he dropped his weights, grabbed a towel to wipe his sweaty face, and sat down next to Sanji, grabbing the ice tea out of his hand. It was silent for a while. Sanji lite himself a cigarette and puffed into the sky while he leaned against the cabin. Zoro stared into his glass.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Sanji finally said.

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"You know, with Lacy-chan."

"What is there to say? She snuck onboard. There's nothing we can do until we reach the next island."

"Then what?"

"We ship her back to her island, that's what."

"Mattaku, Zoro. You really don't know how to handle the ladies..."

"Get off my back." He snapped.

"Listen. What you said back there was really hurtful to Lacy-chan. You should go in and apologize."

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm not happy she snuck onboard."

"Is that how you really feel?"

"Hm?" He glanced a curious look at the man.

"I see what you're trying to do from your point of view. But you can't always decide what's 'best' for her or for anyone for that matter. It's her life, you know. You should be happy she's here and wants to be with you. Besides, it's cute how she's doing all of this for you. It's usually the _guy _who does all the sacrificing to make a relationship work."

"Shut up."

Sanji sighed. He stood up straight and started walking away. "Fine. Be that way, I really don't care what you do as long as you don't hurt Lacy-chan. But you know..." He glanced back at Zoro. "It's ok to be selfish sometimes. If it's for all the right reasons." He walked away again and went inside to the kitchen.

_Sometimes... it's ok to be selfish?_ Zoro stared into his glass again and tried to search in the back of his head about what Sanji meant.

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Night fell quick, and Lacy was at full health. But when called to dinner, she refused and practically locked herself in the girl's room.

"Maybe I should check on her..." Suggested Sanji.

"Just leave her alone. It's between her and Zoro. It's a love affair that needs to be mended by the lovers." Answered Usopp.

"Wow... for once, you're right." Nami commented, impressed and agreeing with Usopp's words. "It's up to those two now."

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_Knock! Knock!_

"Please go away. I'm not hungry." Lacy yelled from under the sheets.

She heard the door open. _I should've known Sanji wouldn't give up._ Suddenly, the sheets were torn off of her and before she knew what was going on, her lips met another's and was given a deep kiss. She lied on the bed in shock as the clinging of 3 gold earrings rang in her head. When their lips departed, two arms wrapped around her, holding her close.

"Forgive me."

She blinked. "Zoro...?"

"I was wrong. You can do whatever you want. I didn't mean to treat you like a child." Zoro released her body and rested his hands on her shoulders; staring into her bright blue eyes.

"Zoro... I'm sorry I made you upset. I didn't mean those things–"

"You were right to be angry with me. I deserved it."

"I only wanted to be with you. I don't want to be alone anymore... without you..."

"I don't either. It's just that you had friends and family who care about you that you'll be leaving behind. I just didn't want _me_ to get in the way of your future."

"But, Zoro. _You_ are my future." She blushed a little bit as she smiled at him.

Zoro smiled in return and gave her another soft hug. "Lacy?"

"Yes?"

"It's... ok to be selfish sometimes, right?"

"You mean, to think of only yourself and your intentions?"

"Yeah."

She giggled. "Of course. You wouldn't be human if you didn't think of yourself every once in a while."

"Good. Because I want you here and to never leave me."

Lacy closed her eyes and smiled; squeezing Zoro. "I won't leave you. Ever."


	12. Ch11: Proving One's Self

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**CHAPTER 11: Proving One's Self **

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The next morning was beautiful. The sun was shining bright and not a cloud in sight. Lacy got up out of bed and followed the delicious smell of cinnamon rolls Sanji was baking for breakfast.

"Ohaiyo gozaimasu, minna!" She said happily while finding a spot at the table.

"Ohaiyo Lacy-chwa!!!!"

"You seem to be in high spirits this morning." Responded Nami. "Did you and Zoro kiss and make up?"

"Yup!" She replied with a big smile on her face.

Zoro walked in from the deck - he was last night's watch - and sat next to Lacy, smiling at her. "Did you sleep well?

"Yup! How was the weather last night? I hope it wasn't cold?"

"Just a little bit. Nothing I can't handle."

Sanji snickered.

"What was that for?!"

"Oh, nothing. Here's your rolls, Lacy-chan! And Nami-san's and Robin-chan's!!"

"Hey! Where's ours?" Complained Luffy and Usopp.

"Everyone else's is on the counter. Get it yourselves. Milk, ladies?"

"Yes, please!" Lacy replied. "Could I have a couple ice cubes in it, please?"

Everyone paused and stared at her. All except Zoro.

"I-Ice cubes? In your milk?!" Asked Usopp.

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Who the heck puts ice in their milk?!"

"She does." Zoro replied, pointing at her with his thumb as he took a bite out of a cinnamon roll.

"Oi, long nose! If she wants ice in her milk, she can have ice in her milk."

"Don't call me long nose, Sanji!"

"Lacy!" Commanded Luffy.

"Yes?"

He stuck out his hand. She hesitated; not knowing what was going on and what he wanted her to do.

"Welcome to the Straw-Hat pirate gang as our newest member!"

Her smiled widened. She slapped his hand and they shook arms and Luffy laughed. Everyone cheered and some patted her back. Sanji tried to give her a hug, but Zoro held him back.

Lacy giggled. _I'm an official pirate now!_

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A couple days went by, and luckily no naval ships attacked the Straw-Hat gang; but something unexpected did.

While going about their everyday activities, the Going Merry was attacked by a small pirate fleet who called themselves the "Racoon Pirates". Lacy said they were retarded looking since they're trying to look like bandits with black face masks (like racoons), but they already _are_ bandits if they call themselves pirates. Luffy would laugh at this as everyone watched the ships approach the Going Merry.

Usopp and the girls went in the cabin while Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper stood their ground when the Racoon pirates were on both sides of the Going Merry. The girls could hear the footsteps and battle cries of the pirates. Lacy waited impatiently until she couldn't take it any longer.

"Nami! Do you still have your old staff?"

"Yes, why?"

"Can I borrow it for a little bit?"

"You're not going out there are you–?"

"Just please let me borrow it!"

Nami tossed her old staff to Lacy and she ran up the steps to the deck.

"Don't go, Lacy! You're going to get killed!" Cried Usopp.

"Don't worry about me. I can do this." She ran out where the battle was taking place and watched for a bit as the men protected the Going Merry. She was mesmerized by the exciting scenery of the men. Their movements were incredible; the way they blocked, the way they attacked, their techniques, their amazing abilities.

One of the Racoon pirates yelled out and ran towards her. She managed to dodge the sword he swung at her and she rolled on the ground, but quickly got back up. She thought she was doing pretty well. She remembered the staff was strong enough against swords, so the chances of the staff breaking were slim. Luckily, the pirate she was blocking from was pretty skinny. She would've been in trouble at her level if he was a big burly guy.

"Yaaa!" She decided it was time to attack. She smacked the guy upside the head as hard as she could. She started swinging at his knees to try and trip him. He kept jumping from her swings, so she decided to fake him out and aim for his neck. She nailed him. But her celebration was stopped short when another pirate, a much bigger pirate, swung his sword at her from behind.

"Aah!!" Lacy fell to the floor.

She managed to dodge his attack, but just barely. She tried to sit up fast, but it was hard to balance whenever she felt great pain shoot from her arm. He had made a gash on her upper arm. She placed her hand over the wound; the blood dripping down her arm and over her hand. The pirate raised his sword in front of her, and when he swung down, she managed to roll out of the way; her arm hurting worse now. As the pirate tried one more time to slice her, a dark figure flashed in front of her and sliced the pirate across the belly.

"Zoro!"

He turned around and knelt in front of her. "Are you ok? What the hell are you doing up here? It's dangerous!" He yelled at her.

"S-sorry. I just wanted to help..."

Zoro leaned her up against the cabin and quickly killed that last few pirates that were still aboard the Going Merry. After a few minutes past, the Racoon pirates retreated and sailed in the opposite direction. Zoro ran back over to Lacy, who start grinding her teeth and had her eyes shut while bearing the pain.

"Baka yarou! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm fine. Really. It's just a small cut. I have a very high tolerance to pain, you know."

"You can't fight them if you don't know what you're doing! You're being reckless!"

Lacy stared at her feet and sighed. "I know. That's why I..." She paused. "I want to be able to fight like you guys. In my world, there's only guns and bombs. But we don't own any weapons in general. I only know how to street fight and use a softball bat."

Zoro sighed. "Look. I'll teach you how to fight if you want. But you need to be patient and wait until you're ready for these kind of fights. Ok?"

She nodded and smiled up at him. "I promise! No more fighting until I _know_ how to!"

He helped her up and walked her inside. Chopper took a look at her gash and bandaged her arm with no worries.


	13. Ch12: The Strange Devil’s Fruit

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Ok now that we've established that Lacy (...ok, me) needs to learn how to fight, it's time to get this story going with how that's going to happen. GO!

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**CHAPTER 12: The Strange Devil's Fruit**

---

Soon the Going Merry finally reached portThey've only been out to sea for 4 days and they already needed to resupply (no thanks to Luffy). Besides, they had a new member in their gang, so more supplies where definitely needed. They all had their own things to do and buy, so they all thought of a time to meet back at the Going Merry and left. Nami gave Lacy some money since she had none of her own. But Nami gave her money for free just this once in return that she'd be allowed to put make-up on Lacy and dress her up like a girl for fun. Lacy didn't like the idea, but agreed for the money, thanked Nami, and went off to find some clothes for their voyage.

She found a store with some "piraty" looking clothes inside. She found a few shirts and capris that gave her the "pirate" look and bought a few pairs. She then bought herself a couple boots and bandanas for her pirate look. After shopping, she got hungry and ordered food at a little sit down restaurant. In the middle of her meal, she tried to think of anything else she might need. Only one thing came to mind: a weapon. _Everyone has a weapon or ability to fight and defend with. I have nothing..._ She tried to think of a weapon she could use well. _I want to own a sword, but Zoro's the swordsman of the group. Maybe he can teach me to sword fight later... Wait!! A staff!! I can use one! Wait... Nami uses one. Well, it's a weather stick, but a staff none the less. _She sighed and ate her lunch with a droopy expression on her face. When she was finished, she went around looking for a weapons store. After a half an hour or searching, all she could find was a bargain store with a mini weapon aisle inside.

She stared at all the trinkets and seaman supplies, when she finally came across the weapons. She searched frantically for a unique weapon to call her own. But none seemed to suit her or seemed like her style or one she could even hold (like the spike ball and chain). Then, she came across a small chest and was curious to see what was inside. When she noticed it was unlocked, she opened it to find a large fruit with swirling patterns on the skin. _Oh my God! This is... a Devil's Fruit?!_

"That's for sale."

Lacy turned around to find an elderly man behind the register reading the newspaper. She searched around the room and saw that she was his only customer.

"Me? Sir?" He nodded. "Um.. Is this a _real_ Devil's Fruit?" He nodded again. "How much is it?"

"It's on sale for $3,000 berries."

"$3,000 berries?! Why so cheap? Is it a fake?"

The old man looked up at her form his newspaper. "I already said it was real."

"Then why so cheap? Aren't they suppose to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?"

"Yeah, but I don't want those cursed things hanging around my shop. The cheaper it is, the faster I can get it outta here."

She walked over to him by the counter, still holding the chest. "So, I can... have it?"

"For $3,000 berries you can. But I don't know why a kid like you would want one of those damned things."

"Why do you think they're cursed?"

"They're known as the 'cursed Devil's Fruit' aren't they?"

"Well... yeah, but most people are happy to find them. Did you have a bad experience with them before?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions."

Lacy hung her head. "Sorry."

The man sighed. "Forget it. Let's just say, I don't trust them. Travelers come in here to sell 'em to me and I try to sell it for cheap to get rid of it. All business, I suppose."

"Do you know what fruit it is?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but I think it's the Mizu Mizu Fruit."

"How do you know?"

"Simple. Look at it's swirls."

"It's swirls?" She picked up the fruit and examined it a bit.

"Let me put it this way. There are 3 kinds of Devil's Fruit: Paramecia, Logia, and Zoan. The Zoan fruit can turn its victim into an animal. This fruit provides three forms: the user's natural form, a full animal form, and a hybrid form, combining both original and animal form. The Logia Fruit is said to be the strongest of the three types of Devil Fruit."

"Why's that?"

"These fruit allow the victim to actually become a natural element in its entirety. Ever since their abilities are gained, they are neither completely human nor element in their default state. However, Logia users have the option of turning completely into their element if they so wish. This fruit abilities are virtually immune to damage unless the special weakness pertaining to that fruit is discovered, or if seastone is used. As for the Paramecia Fruit, it can transform its victims body physically by altering the victim's body in some way."

"What do you mean by 'physically'?"

"You know that pirate Bellamy?"

She recalled the episodes from the One Piece anime when just before the Straw0Hat gang went to Skypiea, Luffy battled against Bellemy, also known as the Hyena. "Yeah?'

"Well, supposedly he ate the Spring Spring Fruit that can turn any part of his body into springs at will."

"Oh, I get it! But I still don't understand how you know that this is a Logia type fruit."

"Again with all the questions!"

Lacy hung her head again. "I'm sorry. I'll stop bugging you."

The old man sighed again. "Forget it. Some people don't know these things unless they ask. Most people can't tell the difference between the 3 kinds of fruits. It's simple, really. The Zoan fruit has its swirls turning to the left while the Paramecia fruit have theirs turning to the right and are almost always in the shape of melons. But Logia fruit have their swirls going in all directions. You see?"

Lacy examined the fruit once more and understood perfectly. "Wow! I've got to remember that! Thank you!"

The old man went back to reading his paper. "_I_ still don't understand why a girl like you would want to have something as evil as that."

"Well, actually, I'm trying to look for a weapon for myself. I'm in a group where everyone has either a weapon or ability to fight and protect themselves with and... I don't. I never thought I'd find a Devil's Fruit though! What a stroke of luck!"

"Luck, says you. Demonic, says I."

"So you really think it's the Mizu Mizu Fruit?"

"Pretty sure. It's complicated, but you can usually tell what fruit it is with some experimenting and examination. Too long to explain."

Lacy hesitated. She wondered whether or not she should buy the fruit or search for a weapon. She remembered mizu meant "water" in Japanese and water _is_her favorite element. Her chances and choice in the fruit were surprisingly lucky.

"I... I'll take it."

The old man looked away from his paper. He focused his eyes on her serious and determined facial expression. He was a bit surprised, and yet felt anxious inside. "Let me ask you a question: Why would you sacrifice your swimming ability, limitations, and life for this cursed piece of fruit? Why not a knife or pistol instead?"

She looked at him straight in the eyes and with all seriousness, answered him. "To protect my loved ones."

The man sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well then, that'll be $1,000 berries."

"$1,000 berries?! But I though you said it was on sale for $3,000?"

"I did. But you have an amazing fighting spirit burning inside of you. I can sense it. You have a good heart with wonderful intentions. So for you, I'm cutting the price a little."

"Wow! Thank you so much!" She bent over the counter and gave the old man a hug. He was caught by surprise and smiled as he tried getting her off of him. She gave him the money and thanked him again as she said her good-byes.

Lacy made one more stop at the jewelry store and got the top of her ear pierced twice. She thought it looked so cool and wanted to look like her One Piece OC Jenka. She then went back to the Going Merry a few minutes before the promised time. She saw Chopper and Robin already back at the ship and waited with them for everybody else. When Zoro came back, she greeted him with exciting hugs and showed him her new clothes and accessories.

Zoro stared at her clothes bags with a raised brow. "Why do most of your clothes look so... um, so..."

"Piraty?" Lacy finished for him.

"Yeah."

She giggled. "Well, I've always wanted to be a pirate, so I might as well dress like one."

"We don't look like pirates at all."

"Think of it as an excuse for me to dress up, ok? I like to dress up and be something different."

He sighed. "Alright. If you say so. Hm?" He stopped and looked at her left ear. "Is that a piercing?"

"Huh?" She touched the earrings. "Oh! Yes, two actually. Isn't it cool?"

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"A little, but it'll be fine when I put some solution on it. Do you like it?"

He touched them gently, not wanting them to ache since they were new. "They suit you well. I like them a lot."

She smiled wide. "Hontou?!"

He nodded. "Come on. Let's get going."

She nodded and followed him inside where the rest of the crew was putting supplies away. Lacy helped them out as well, but quickly hid the Devil's Fruit from everyone first. She still wasn't 100 sure if she'd eat the fruit, but she would think about it.


	14. Ch13: Usopp’s Project

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Yay for the Devil's Fruit!! But am I gonna eat it? WE DUNNO! XD But this is a quick li'l chapter to make the story a little more... realistic, one could say. We're getting ever closer to more adventurous chapters.

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**CHAPTER 13: Usopp's Project **

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_THUMP!_

Lacy fell off her metal spring bed, that she put together herself... again. She sat up and looked around to see if she woke anyone up on accident; after scanning the room, she realized it was late in the morning and she was the only one in the girl's room.

"Ow..." She rubbed her head where she landed. "I gotta get a new bed... I might as well just sleep on a damn futon and mattress."

"Not if you're not used to your back laying so straight."

Lacy whipped around and saw Chopper standing on the stairway. "You're used to mattresses. Sleeping flat on the ground could hurt your back."

"I know... " Lacy answered back. "It's just that this bed sucks."

The little deer walked over to her bed and touched it, poking it really. At the slightest touch, it jiggled and made an annoying metal grinding noise.

"That sounds awful! How can you sleep on that?"

She sighed. "It's a start. When I get more money I'm going to buy a cheap ol' bed that can give me the rest I need."

"Why not just ask Usopp to build you a bed?"

"Hmm... that's not a bad idea. But I don't want to be a burden."

Chopper shook his head. "Not at all. In fact, he's been looking for new projects to do since he's set on his bombs and repairs on the ship."

"Really?"

"Sure!"

"Well... I'll think about it."

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As the day played on, Lacy was unsure of asking Usopp to help her. But after a few hours of observing, it was true what Chopper said about him being bored. After doing his regular chores, he sat around and whined on the deck. Then he tried fishing and just fell asleep with his pole still in the water. He tried doing something in the kitchen until Sanji kicked him out. Finally, he sat around and poked Luffy in the head since, he too, was bored out of his mind.

"U-umm... Usopp?"

"Eh?" Usopp looked over slowly as if gathering his strength to move his head. "Oh, Lacy. What's up?"

"Umm..." She looked down at the planks and tried wording her request as carefully as possible. "I was wondering if you... and if you don't want to it's TOTALLY fine... if you could possibly build me a better bed than what I have...?"

Usopp's eyes popped open wide and he jumped up onto his feet with a smile on his face. "Of course!! Captain Usopp - brave warrior and miracle builder - at your service!!"

Lacy smiled, thankful he wasn't offended. "Thank you, Usopp!! I owe you big time!"

He looked proud and turned his head away from her dramatically and placed one foot on the edge of the railing. "No need to thank me! Ah This reminds me of a time when I once killed 10,000 sea monsters and overthrew their sea king in the East Blue."

Her eyes glittered. "Really?! 10,000 sea monsters?! Do tell!!"

He shooed her. "Perhaps when I'm done with your bed I shall tell you the story? If you can handle it!"

She clapped her hands together. "That would be great, Usopp! Can't wait!"

He laughed maniacally and ran to the storage room to find some spare wood and for his tools.

Nami came up behind Lacy and rubbed the back of her head. "You don't seriously believe him about that sea monster story, do you?"

Lacy giggled. "Of course not! Remember, I watched One Piece everyday, I know how everyone ticks and when Usopp's lying. Besides, I was just playing along as a way of showing my gratitude to Usopp's assistance."

Nami slapped Lacy on the back. "You sly dog, you!"

--------------------------------------------------

For the next few days, everyone rarely saw Usopp. He took his meals in the storage room and everyone figured he rarely slept.

Dinner was served on the fifth night of Usopp's "disappearance" and still, no sign of their cowardly sniper. But this night was different from all the others: he didn't come up for his meal.

"Where the hell is that long-nosed idiot?" Asked Sanji, serving everyone drinks (and by serving everyone, it was the ladies). "He knows my meal policy of not waiting for him OR saving him anything."

"What did you say to him?" Asked Nami to Lacy in a shocking tone.

"What?! I just requested a better bed! I thought it would only take a day or so!"

"So you did request a bed from him, ne Lacy?" Asked Chopper.

"Yes! But there was no specific design I asked for or anything special... Just an upgrade from what I'm sleeping on now is all."

Suddenly, the door flew open and there stood the shadow of Usopp, looking proud and ambitious.

"Ooooooooooh! Usoop!!" Cheered Luffy with a mouth full of food.

"Where on Earth have you been doing these past few days, Usopp?!" Asked Nami.

Lacy stepped forward. "I'm sorry Usopp to be so much trouble! I just asked for a bed, nothing complicated or anything–"

Usopp held up his hammer firmly gripped in his fist. "Minna! It's finally ready!"

"Hm? What's ready?" Asked Robin.

Everyone followed Usopp to the storage room. They gathered around with Usopp in the front, letting everyone's anticipation rise.

"Why are you stalling?" Asked Sanji, annoyed.

Usopp ignored him. "Go ahead, Lacy. Open it."

Nervous and excited at the same time, Lacy stepped toward the door and opened it slowly. Inside in a corner, she found the most beautiful bed she had ever seen. The headboard was tall and shaped like an arch. It has thousands of detailed Celtic designs carved into the wood frame, and her name written in kanji off onto one corner, blending in with the designs. The footboard was smaller of course, and had bigger Celtic designs. She noticed the bed was already made with her favorite quilt on top.

"Wow, Usopp! It's wonderful!" Complimented Nami.

"You did the designs yourself?" Asked Chopper, astounded.

Luffy stood closer to the footboard and rubbed his hand against the wood. "Oi oi oi! This is awesome! Can I have one?!"

Sanji hit him on the head. "The women get the comfortable beds, baka! You're still sleeping in the hammock!"

He whined. "Naaaaaaaaaaah Sanjiiiiiiiiii!! I'm the captain! I should have a nice bed too..."

Usopp crossed his arms while smiling wide, proud of his great artistic work. "Well? What do you think Lacy? Pretty cool, na?"

Lacy turned away from the bed to face Usopp, with stars sparkling in her eyes. "This is the most wonderful thing ever, Usopp! This is simply amazing and gorgeous! How did you know I liked Celtic designs?"

He sneered. "Heh heh! From some of the pictures you drew, of course! You drew them as tattoos for most of your characters, so I just figured it's what you liked."

Sanji stood in the center of the storage room and looked around. "Oi, Usopp. Where you living in here or something?"

Everyone else looked around and noticed the storage room had changed looks. There was a desk, a closet, a dresser, and even a mirror hanging in the room with a trunk at the end of the bed.

"Where's all the extra stuff?" Pondered Luffy.

Once again, Usopp sneered. "Heh heh! This is Lacy's new room!"

"EH?!" Everyone turned to stare at Usopp with wide eyes and lowered jaws.

"M-M-M-M-M-MY ROOM?!" Repeated Lacy.

Usopp nodded. "Yup! I took a look at the girl's room for the bed's measurements and see where it could fit. But then I realized it _couldn't _fit! I mean, the girl's room has stuff everywhere and taking up space, so it'd be hard even for just your things to settle comfortably down there."

Nami raised a brow. "What do you mean 'taking up space'?"

He continued. "So I started working on the bed and had so much fun building it, I just couldn't stop! Before I knew it, I was making a dresser and a bunch of other roomy things for you! And this," he walked over to on corner of the room where the desk was, "is for your artwork. I made you a little work space. It's a low desk so you can sit down on the floor and draw. You're always drawing on the bed, so I thought it'd be better on your back if you had a bit of 'help' - if you will - for yourself."

"Wow, Usopp! That was so sweet of you!" Smiled Nami.

"You truly outdid yourself, Mr. Sniper." Commented Robin.

"Geez. All she asked for was a bed." Sighed Zoro.

"So wait, where did you move all of the storage space to?" Asked Sanji.

"To the water room. There was plenty of space in there. I mean there's only the water boiler and pump in there. So all storage equipment has been moved to the opposite side of the ship."

"YOU'RE AMAZING, USOPP!!" Lacy ran over and glomped Usopp, causing him to fall down.

"O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oi!! Easy easy! I'm sore from all the work."

"You have no idea how cool this is! You REALLY didn't have to do this, you know!"

"Well, thanks to you, I had something to do and kill time for the past few days." Usopp replied, scratching the back of his head.

Lacy kissed him on the cheek, smiling from ear to ear. "You're the best!! I can't thank you enough!!"

Usopp blushed. "Aww, it's nothing. Heh heh!"

Everyone laughed at Usopp's red face and looked around to admire the craftsmanship of the new room. Once everyone was ready for Sanji's dessert in honor of Lacy's new room and Usopp's hard work, they headed back to the kitchen. Lacy and Zoro were the only ones left behind, alone in the room.

"Damn." Zoro said.

"I know! This is so freakin' amazing! Can you believe he did all that?! For me?!"

"Actually, no. It's not like him to do this sort of thing."

"Well, I know that. But he _did _make Nami a new weapon and a couple of new gadgets for himself and everyone to use."

Zoro sighed. "I suppose."

Lacy stepped closer to Zoro, hugging him as she admired the room. "It's nice to have my own room again." She smiled.

"I can already tell you're going to hang out in here a lot, right?"

She nodded. "Yup!"

They caught up with the others in the kitchen, just in time to receive dessert with everyone else. They laughed and talked and joked about different things and sometimes the thought of Usopp blushing kept popping into conversations. After a while, Usopp froze and he began to frown.

"What's wrong, Mr. Sniper?" Asked Robin, noticing his sadness.

Usopp held his head as if he were in pain and fell backwards on the floor, sobbing childishly. "Now since I'm done with Lacy's bed _and _a new room, what am I going to do to pass the time NOW?!"


	15. Ch14: Sorcerer Part 1: Mysterious Magic

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Ok, this is like one of my fav stories I've written because it was based off of a dream I had years ago, just before my 18th birthday actually... I luv this!! X3

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**CHAPTER 14: The Sorcerer (Part 1: Mysterious Magic) **

---

Days went by. It was about a month since Lacy had joined the Straw-hat pirates. They sailed for a long time without seeing any sight of land for weeks. Lacy would normally be bored, but she drew a lot of pictures and took requests from the gang and talked to them. She was so excited to be with her idols in reality and she wanted to get to know them even more. She even sat down and explained to everyone how she knew so much about them and their adventures.

"Ok then," began Nami, "what did Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper do while we got separated in Alabasta when Luffy went crazy after eating one of those weird cactuses?"

Lacy giggled, finding it amusing when they would quiz her to see if she really knew everything about them and their times together. "Luffy was thirsty and tired of course, then when he found a huge boulder with shade, he stretched his arms and grabbed Chopper and Zoro on his way to the boulder. He snapped his arms back for a safe landing, but caused Zoro and Chopper to land head first into the sand!"

Luffy began to laugh. "Haha!! I remember that!! Zoro tried to kill me!"

"Damn straight, you idiot!! You're always trying to kill _us_!!" Snapped Zoro.

Luffy continued laughing. "Haha! Wari wari, Zoro!"

Lacy laughed. "Then when Zoro sat on a rock, it instantly collapsed and he fell into a deep hole."

Zoro blushed and twisted his head fast to face her. "That's not funny!"

"Heehee! Sorry, but it was cute the way your eyes bulged in shock! I _did _feel bad for you at the same time, though."

Sanji laughed as well at Zoro. "Stupid seaweed head! You're such a klutz!"

"I'd watch it if I were you, Sanji." Warned Lacy. "After all, in Roger town you fell for Alvida! She was ugly and fat! And it was funny to see you falling for her... 'new' body!" She began to laugh at him instead.

"Mouuuuu, Lacy-chan! I didn't know who the hell she was then! She was a babe!"

"Well, Luffy and Nami knew what she looked like before, right guys?"

Nami shivered. "Yuck! You got that right!"

"Oi, minna!! Land up ahead!!" Yelled Usopp as he pointed north from the crow's nest. Everybody ran to the side of the ship and yelled for joy at the sight of Earth.

"Wow!! It looks like a gorgeous island, Zoro!! Look how green it is!" Lacy tugged on Zoro's arm and pointed at the forest around the island.

"Yeah, it's great." He commented.

She giggled. She was always fascinated with forests since they were so cool and calm and relaxing to her. She remembered her trip up to Idaho with old fashioned houses living around the mountains and green forests as far as the eye can see. As they got closer, she noticed it wasn't a pine tree forest, but a tropical forest. She got even more excited since she's never seen the tropics before.

"Let's go exploring, Zoro!"

"We'll see. We're not even sure if this island's safe enough to dock. There could be assassins or villagers who hate pirates here and trouble might stir."

"Youve got a point..."

"I'll go exploring with you, Lacy!!" Luffy ran up behind her and raised his fists in the air with a smile from ear to ear.

"Really?! Alright!! Let's go then!!"

As the Going Merry was being docked, Sanji prepared a little lunch for Lacy and Luffy for the exploration. Chopper decided to join as well, and so the three of them set off into the jungle.

"How come you're not going to go with them, marmio head?! She's _your_ girl!" Argued Sanji.

"Shut up! We can have our own space every once in a while, can't we? Besides, I have a bad feeling about this island..."

"You're _always_ getting a bad feeling about every island!"

"And every island causes trouble for us, doesn't it?!"

Sanji smiled and held out his arms. "It's probably for the best. You'd just get lost in the jungle anyways."

"Ano yarou...!!"

"Oh will you two cut it out for once?!" Nami bopped both of them on the head hard. "Just let them go off. We have to wait a while anyways so the indicator can locate the next island."

_--------------------------------------------------_

Luffy, Chopper, and Lacy were skipping along the paths they created in the jungle and admired the view. They found strange animals; some Lacy has seen, others she could only imagine in One Piece. Every once in a while, they'd stop to snack or talk about what they'll expect to see in the jungle.

As they took a water break, Lacy caught a glimpse of something shining up ahead. "I'll be right back, I think I see something."

"What is it?" Asked Luffy with a mouthful of water.

"Another animal?" Chopper asked.

"I don't know... but it's shiny." She ran through the trees and came out into an opening with an enormous building with crystal windows standing tall in front of her.

"Hey guys!! Come look at this! I think I found something strange!! It's no Aztec temple, that's for sure..."

"Where?" Called out Luffy.

Chopper and Luffy ran toward the sound of her voice through the trees and came out into a swamp.

"Lacy? Where are you?" Chopper called out.

"I'm in an opening!"

"An opening? There's only a swamp in the direction you ran. Did you take a turn somewhere?"

"A swamp? I didn't see a swamp, there's a huge open field with a huuuuuge building in the middle. You could see it over the trees!"

Luffy swung himself to the top of the tallest tree near them and scanned the view. "Are you sure it's big? I don't see any buildings."

"You're kidding me? Hold on, I'm coming back." She ran back towards the direction she came in and came out of the jungle to find her self back at the building. "Strange..." She ran back and repeated herself 3 more times before giving up, facing the building. "Guys, this is weird. I can't get back! I keep going around in circles! I even ran in different directions and I keep ending up at this building!"

"Hold on, Lacy! We'll try to help! Don't move!" She heard Chopper yelling back at her.

"Like I have a choice..."

She waited for a few minutes before the sun started to beat down on her. She was getting hot and impatient for waiting so long. She looked at her watch and noticed it had been over an hour since she last heard from Luffy and Chopper.

"Where are they...?" She studied the building more closely now and walked up to it. It seemed to be some kind of office building, or a foster home. There were crystal windows everywhere and 2 huge doors at the front. "This actually kind of looks like a private school... there's even a flag in the doors."

She walked in, not thinking about Luffy or the others wanting to look for her in the building. She was right. It looked like a school with hallways and rooms with desks and tables inside of them. She heard a bell ring and students - her age and older - walked out of some of the closed rooms. She noticed the students looked rich. Their clothes and jewelry looked expensive as they passed her. They sprawled along the hallways, pinning Lacy to the side of the walls and bumping into her without saying a word. Another bell rang and in the blink of an eye, the students disappeared.

Lacy froze. She thought something was strange in the place. Besides, no one disappears unless they ate the Devil's Fruit. But there's only one of each... wasn't there? Suddenly, she felt a chill down her spine and she turned around. She stopped as she noticed a guy, about her age or maybe a couple years older, standing a few feet away from her.

"Welcome." He said. He had an English accent and was wearing a red plaid long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans. He wore slender glasses on his face and his light brown hair was mushroom cut. He grinned at her.

"Um... hi. Could you tell me where I am? I got separated from my friends and–"

The man cut her off. "You're in our wonderful school of sorcery."

"Sorcery?! Really? There's such thing as learning magic and spells? Wow... this is like Harry Potter and Hogwarts!"

"Please, follow me."

The man seemed to have ignored her last comment. She felt confused but anxious to learn a few spells herself. That way, she could use magic to protect her friends instead of the Devil's Fruit. The boy waited for her in a room and locked the bolt behind her. She twitched at the clicking noise the lock made, and she felt nervous. She put her guard up.

"What is it you wanted to show me?"

She turned around and noticed the man was already in swim trunks and drinking wine - she thought - from a fancy crystal glass. She noticed a spa in the room and a few people chatting in it. _That wasn't there before...! This must be more magic._

The man smiled. "Come. Relax. We will be able to chat more comfortably in here." "

Lacy blushed and took a few steps back. "W-W-Wait just a minute!! I'm SO not like that! A-and besides, I don't even know you so why would I want to go in a spa with a complete stranger! We'll be half naked and not to mention–!

The man interrupted. "On the contrary, miss. You misunderstand. This water is unique. It's able to sooth your aches and pains, make you feel relaxed, healthy, and even help your stress." He walked into the spa.

"Thanks, but no thanks. It looks like a comfortable... herbal therapy spa, but I'm ok. Besides, I don't have a bathing suit and I'm just looking for my friends so–" Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt cold and looked down at herself. She noticed she was wearing a gorgeous blue and black striped bikini with a picture of a small white hibiscus flower in the middle of her bikini bottoms and the corners of the bikini top.

"There you are. Now come. Let us talk."

She covered herself quickly and blushed. "W-where are my clothes?!"

"There. On the table of course."

She looked beside her and saw a table, that wasn't there before, with her clothes neatly folded on the end and snacks on the other end. She felt embarrassed being half naked around people she didn't know, but then again, the spa _did_ look relaxing...

With her guard still up and ready, Lacy climbed into the spa slowly, getting familiar with the heat and sat opposite of the boy, keeping her eye on him.

He grinned again at her. "There we go. Now, tell me. What's your name?"

"Uh.. I-it's Lacy. And yours?"

He lifted up his glass to her. "Well then, Miss Lacy. To you. Cheers." He took a sip of his drink, and when he was done, he spoke again. "My name is Nathaniel. But please, call me Nate."

"O-ok..."

"May I offer you a drink?" He asked politely.

"N-no thanks..." She felt strange. She knew she would never get into a spa half naked with a complete stranger. So why was she doing so now? She felt as though something had come over her and she unconsciously went into the spa. Almost like she was being possessed...

"May I bother you so much as to ask you a question?"

She focused on him. "Um, ok. But I should really be getting back, otherwise–"

"Tsk. Tsk. We will get there in a moment. Now, tell me Miss Lacy, do you know what you desire most?"

She blushed again. "Nani?! I-I don't think that's a appropriate question to ask a stranger, don't you think?!"

"Yes, but are you aware of your greatest desire? You don't have to tell me, just allow me the privilege of knowing whether or not you know what you desire most in a yes or no answer."

She knelt her head for a moment, trying to figure out if he was some kind of pervert or something. Since he wanted to know yes or no to the question, she thought it wouldn't hurt for him to know that much. But... did she truly know what she desired most? It was Zoro, right? ...Right?

She nodded. "Um... yes. I'm aware of my desire. I already have it anyways. Why?"

He just simply smiled. "No reason. Just curious to see if people know what they value in life. Now, what do you think of the Queen?"

"The... Queen?"

He nodded.

_The Queen? What Queen? I didn't see a castle or anyone who looks of royalty here. Does he mean the Queen of England? That would make sense considering his accent is from there... But they were in the One Piece world. Did the Queen of England exist in this world too?_

"Um... well, there's not much to say. I don't really know much about her to give an opinion. ...Why?"

His grin grew. "No reason at all. You had questions to ask me as well?"

"Ah! Yes. Where am I?"

"My forgetful dear, I told you. You're in the school of sorcery."

"I _know_ that. But I couldn't get away from here. Was that a spell? Making me go around in circles and always ending up here? Because I need to get back to my friends. You see, we were separated ever since I found this place and I don't know my way back–"

He interrupted her again. "You could say it was a spell. But then again, I'm not in charge of the shields protecting this school.

"Then how am I suppose to get back when I don't know how the spell–"

"All you really need to do is go back the way you came."

She was getting irritated from his interruptions and not completely hearing her out. "But I already tried that."

"Apparently not. Trust me, I know how to break the spell. You must of gone out a different way."

"O-ok. I'll... try that again. Um... Thank you." He lifted his glass to her again and pushed his glasses up on his nose with his forefinger. She got out of the spa and grabbed her clothes. She threw on her shorts and shirt over her bathing suit , placing her under garments secretly in her enormous pant pockets so no one could see them. "Oh! What should I do with the bathing–"

"Keep it. It suits you."

She smiled at the compliment and backed away from the spa. "T-thanks." She noticed the door was already opened for her and so she quickly exited and closed the door behind her.

She ran down the hall back to the outside of the building. _That was _way _too weird. He was creepy, especially with that smile of his. But... the bathing suit's cool, so... I guess I can't complain too much. But why did he ask about the Queen? Are we in England or something? And what does he care about my desires?_

She ran out the way she found the building and once again, found her self back where she started. "ARG!! What the hell is going on here?! I know I came from there!! How am I suppose to go back when–" She cut herself short this time. She looked back at where she entered and then back at the building.

"Wait... I think I get it..."

She stood in front of the jungle where she entered and faced her back to it. She walked backwards into the plants and avoided loose tree trunks and other things she might trip on. She got out of the jungle again. She turned around and noticed she was at the port.

"Haha! So _that's _what he meant by going back! He meant literally going back as in backwards!" She spotted the Going Merry and saw Luffy and Chopper talking to the others on the side. "Luffy!! Chopper!! I'm back!!"

"Lacy!! Where were you?" Asked Zoro, jumping in front of her on land.

"Yeah! Where were you?" Asked Luffy.

"I told you, I was at a building. But it was a school for sorcery!"

"Sorcery?" Repeated Robin.

Lacy nodded. "Yeah! And there was this creepy guy who asked me about a Queen... Ne, Robin? Is there a Queen on this island?"

She shook her head. "No, at least not that I know of. This is a pretty small island, but having a ruler for it is possible."

"Maybe there is a Queen, but deeper into the mountains." Suggested Usopp.

"A QUEEN?! We MUST meet her!! She may have gold everywhere in her castle! With diamonds and rubies in her gold crown and staff!" Nami drifted off into a dream where gold was the only thing on her mind.

"I thought you guys forgot about me or something. I was waiting for you for almost 2 hours!"

"2 hours? But we only got back about 10 minutes ago after we talked to you." Luffy responded, scratching his head.

"What?! Uso... unless... there was magic involved in this from that school again."

"Are you sure it was a sorcerer school?" Asked Zoro.

"Positive! There was a guy who used magic on me and a room we were in. And he made these appear on me." She lifted up her shirt to reveal her bathing suit.

"WAAAI! Lacy-chwa!! That's looks really good on you!!" Cried out Sanji as he stared at her chest. Lacy quickly pulled her shirt back down and blushed.

"H-HOW DID HE GET THAT ON YOU?!" Asked Zoro in a pissed off tone.

"He didn't undress me, if that's what you mean. I told you, he made them magically appear on me."

"Why?!"

"He wanted to talk to me in his... er... private spa. Like I said, to talk about the Queen."

"And you got in with him?!"

"I had no choice! I didn't want to, but somehow I just unwillingly got in with him... it was really bizarre... Not to mention he looked really creepy and his grin was intimidating!"

"Why that bastard... I outta...!!" Zoro gritted his teeth and shook his fist.

"You say you unwillingly got in the spa with him?" Asked Robin.

She nodded. "Yeah. It was really weird, like I didn't even think about it and just... did it unknowingly."

Robin crossed her arms and thought about it for a moment. "You say it was a school of sorcery, so perhaps the man was using some kind of spell on you without you realizing it."

"Sounds about right to me." Lacy turned around to look in the direction the school was in. _I wonder what Nate's deal was... I hope I don't have to meet him again._


	16. Ch15: Sorcerer Part 2: Rituals

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Part 2 of my fav chapter! sigh I wish I had more dreams like this... adventurous and about One Piece, I mean. LOL If you've never seen the movie "The Fifth Element", you need to! It's an awesome Bruce Willis sci-fi movie with a lot of other famous actors/actresses!You'll see why I'm talking about that once you read this chapter...

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**CHAPTER 15: The Sorcerer (Part 2: Rituals) **

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The Straw-Hat pirates found a local village that seemed calm about their stay there as pirates. They told them that the indicator will take about a couple days before pointing to the next island. They thanked them, and went back to the Going Merry and waited. Everyone was tired and decided to go find more supplies and food for their next journey. Ever since they heard Lacy's story, they became a little more cautious - not knowing what to expect - and split up into groups. Luffy, Zoro, and Lacy went one way, Nami, Sanji, and Chopper another way, and Robin and Usopp stayed to watch over the ship. As Luffy and the others walked down the streets of town, Lacy noticed Zoro had disappeared.

"Eh? Zoro?" Lacy looked around the streets, but there was no sign of him. "Ne, Luffy? Did we pass by a weapons shop or something? I can't find Zoro."

Luffy looked around. "I don't know."

"I'll go look for him. He can't be far."

"Ok! I 'll be in that diner over there!"

She waved back at him and ran off back in the direction they came. _Where could he have gone...?__He better not have gotten himself lost again. He really needs to learn how to have a sense of direction..._ Just then, she noticed an outdoor theater down a hill nearby the markets and saw Zoro.

"Zoro! Zoro!! Over here!" She realized he didn't hear her and decided to run to him instead.

As she got closer, she noticed a woman standing by him, talking to him. She hid behind a bench near them as she tried to listen to their conversation. It was hard to hear with other people talking around her. It was frustrating since she was curious to know what was going on and so she peeked over and tried to catch a glimpse of Zoro's face. He looked worried and nervous like he was upset with something the woman said. She was wearing blue clothing like a dancing girl from Alabasta. She was strange looking since her skin was also blue and her hair was blue and up in a strange style with her body covered in small gems and tribal tattoos. The woman licked her lips and kept smiling wider at him. _Why am I just... _staring _at them? _Lacy thought. _Shouldn't I feel jealous or at least walk up to them and–_

Just then, Zoro tried to walk away, but the woman in blue snatched his arm and made a tiny cut on his wrist with her fingernail. Zoro yanked his hand away and gritted his teeth at her in a threatening manner.

Lacy popped up as a reflex and ran over to them in a casual manner. "Oh here you are, Zoro! Luffy and I turned around and saw that you–" But by the time she reached him, he turned around and grabbed Lacy by her wrist and led her out towards the ocean where the Going Merry was docked. He never spoke, nor looked back at her or the woman in blue. Lacy glanced back instead and found that the woman was already gone. "Zoro?" He never answered, but picked up the pace instead and disappeared into the Going Merry as they reached it. Lacy stood on the deck and stared at the door he went through._ I guess it's a problem he wanted to deal with and not get me involved. But... what was it about that woman that made him nervous? And why is he _still _nervous...? _

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It was the next morning and everyone but Robin and Lacy were gone to collect last minute supplies. Lacy told Robin she had a couple errands to run and she'd be back as soon as possible. She ran off into town and was searching frantically for Zoro. Of course, she slept in really late and missed Zoro after he left. She wanted to know what happened yesterday and what his connection was with that blue woman. Just then, she noticed Zoro turning into an empty shop.

"Zoro!" She smiled and waved at him. She ran into the shop and watched him turn around to look at her. Suddenly, time seemed to have frozen in the shop. Blue and purple colors were swirling slowly around them and the walls to the shop disappeared and so did the door.

"Lacy!" Zoro reached out to grab for Lacy's frozen hand, but all they could do was inch their way slowly to each other. Before their hands met, they fell into a strange room with desks everywhere.

Her eyes went wide. "Oh no! Zoro, we're in that school I told you about! It must've been magic! That shop was like some sort of portal!"

"Are you alright?" He asked her, looking around the room.

"Y-yeah. What were you doing–" As she crawled toward him, she fell through a trapped door and into a pit of darkness.

"LACY!!" Zoro tried to reach out for her, but stopped as he noticed an invisible wall blocking his way to the trap door. "Chikuso!!What's going on here?!"

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Lacy landed in another classroom that looked quite similar to the one she was in earlier. She heard a bell ring and sorcery students came in and crowded her, pinning her against the walls like before. She looked up and noticed that the trap door above was gone. _Zoro... Where are you?! _She squeezed her way to the classroom door and fell into the hall. It was silent and empty and she froze, waiting for a sign of movement. She heard footprints suddenly run up behind her and she turned around to find Zoro at the other end of the hallway.

"Lacy!!"

"Zoro!! There you are!"

She ran towards him as he did the same until the bell rang again. Students from all corners came out into the hallway and pushed Zoro and Lacy apart. They tried reaching out for each other, but the more they struggled, the farther apart they became. Zoro yelled out something to Lacy, but she couldn't hear him over the noise the students made. He started screaming it now, but for some odd reason, she couldn't hear him. Something wasn't right...

"Dammit! Move it! NOW!!" Zoro tried pushing his way through and jumping over everyone. Lacy managed to free herself a bit and ran back towards him. They could almost touch each other, until Zoro was nailed against the wall that flipped around and he disappeared.

"Not another trap door! Zoro!!" The bell rang again, and the hallway was once again empty as Lacy stood alone.

A clapping noise came from behind her and she turned around to find Nate clapping his hands at the end of the hallway.

"Bravo, Miss Lacy. You were so close to your destination."

"What's going on here?! Why has this place suddenly become a fun house?!"

He blinked. "Fun house? Oh no, certainly not. It is a school of sorcery."

"Cut the crap, Nate!! Where's Zoro?! Let us out of here now!!" She stomped towards him, clenching her hands into a tight fist. She grabbed a hold of his shirt collar. But all he did was grin evilly and snickered. Lacy let him go and took a couple steps back in confusion. He began to laugh out loud now, his smile widening and his face shadowing. _No... It's _can't_ be! Were we... kidnaped?! _

He stopped laughing and adjusted his glasses like before. "_Grettoute Lathos!_" Suddenly, 2 large men came out of nowhere and grabbed a hold of her arms and placed them behind her back.

"Aah! What are you going to do?! Let me go!!" She screamed, trying to escape from the men's tight grips.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, we need you for the moment. So please cooperate with us, Miss Lacy."

"Let me go!!"

"It's no use. You might as well just stop struggling and succumb to your darkest desires, Miss Lacy."

"My darkest desires? What the hell does that mean? I don't _have _any dark desires!"

Nate snickered. "Oh, but there _is _something you desire uncontrollably. Come. There is something I would like you to see."

They turned a corner into a dark, long hallway. It seemed as though they had been walking for a long time, when Lacy noticed a bright blinding light at the end of the hallway. It was an opening to another room, but it wasn't a classroom at all.As they entered, her eyes adjusted to the light and saw the ocean with clear blue water as you would see in the tropics trapped in a dome room. There were floating hot air balloons of all sorts of colors and shapes and all sorts of weird childlike toys enlarged and floating around the dome. Then Lacy noticed Zoro. But this time, there were hundreds of him everywhere.

She froze and scanned the entire room slowly. "Wha...?! What's... going on here?"

Nate sneered and asked in a teasing tone. "Which one's the real Zoro?"

All the Zoro's looked nervous and looked like they were trying to escape. Each Zoro had his own outfit from a certain series Lacy had seen from the animeand even some of them were the same outfit, but with slightly different colors. _What's going?! What's happening here?! Wait a minute...! _

"That cut that blue woman made on Zoro's wrist... was it to... make copies?! Like... DNA samples for clones or something?" She asked Nate.

"My my, you seemed to have figured it out quicker than I thought. You're very perceptive, Miss Lacy."

"But why?! What is the purpose of these clones?!"

Her panicked expression seemed to entertain Nate. "I'm afraid that doesn't concern you right now, Miss Lacy. Gentlemen, please help our lovely guest around the room."

One of the large men picked up Lacy by the waist and threw her into the air and caught by magically appearing acrobats and flung her into the Zoro frenzy. She screamed as she was thrown around, unable to touch any of the Zoro's. She was hoping that one of them - real or not - would catch her and take her away from these psychotic people. All the Zoro's yelled out her name, but the acrobats wouldn't let her touch them. The acrobats would tease her and let her get so close to the Zoro copies that she could grab their heads, but they'd jerk her back and pull away to where she'd loose her balance and break away from any of the Zoro's grasp.

"That is enough, gentlemen. Please take her to the Queen." Nate held up his hand and signaled the acrobats to set her down and was caught by the 2 large men.

She shook for a moment, trying to regain feeling back in her body from the terrifying flying experience.The _Queen? _Lacy thought. _Were we in England? Or perhaps another country with Queens or just an island with a Queen ruling it? No. His accent was UK English, it had to be the Queen of England... right? _

After walking through dark, cold hallways, she was taken to a small candle lite ballroom, with music playing softly and exotic dancers dancing on a runway platform. The music suddenly stopped as they stepped further into the room. Lacy was brought forward to the end of the platform, where the woman Zoro was talking to the other day was sitting on big pillows like a beanbag. But she looked different from before; she reminded Lacy of the alien opera singer from the movie _The Fifth Element_, who was called "the Diva." Her skin was blue with diamonds everywhere on her body, wearing blue skimpy Goddess-like clothes that reminded Lacy of Greece, and was surrounded by incense smoke and large rocks. She stared at Lacy and gave her an evil smile, then brought forth one of the rocks between Lacy and herself.

_She must be "the Queen" Nate kept talking about! _Lacy cleared her throat. "W-what are you going to do to me?"

The Queen ignored her and closed her eyes as she chanted some ancient words that seemed foreign to Lacy.. The music was back up again with a different melody and the dancing girls started a new dance. It was a ceremony. _This can't be happening... What is this for? My sacrifice? To become one of them? To forget all about Zoro? _Lacy gulped and tried to keep cool and started to feel sick to her stomach and shaky.

It seemed as if Lacy was hypnotized or something, because the more she looked at the rock, the more _curious _she became with it and the more it shifted in shape. There were new colors of different crystals appearing inside of the rock and Lacy was in awe.

"Are those... real crystals?" Lacy asked. The Queen ignored her still and kept going on with her dark words. Lacy shook her head. _Why in the world... did I just ask her that?!_

The Queen opened her eyes and glanced over Lacy's shoulder, still chanting. Lacy turned around to see Zoro running to her rescue, calling out her name. But it wasn't the real Zoro, just a copy. She knew because his face was slender and his haramaki was white with blue stripes. As he came closer, the smoke from the incense traveled toward him and he suddenly stopped. He then gave a look as if he was suffocating and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, spat blood, and dropped to the floor... dead. Lacy froze in terror. It seemed as though this chant the Queen was saying was for the ceremony and to prevent anyone to stop her and to rescue Lacy. Her fear grew.

_Does she really need me for this... ceremony?! W-why?!_ She turned slowly to look back at the shifting crystal rock and walked backwards as slowly as possible. She was too terrified to run, too afraid of what might happen if she walked any further away from their Queen. She was shaking and breathing so hard it felt as if her oxygen was decreasing.

More Zoro's came in to try and save her in different ways, but all fell dead from either the smoke, the chant, or the Queen herself; who chopped one of the Zoro's heads off with her long extended fingernails. Lacy was still walking slowly backwards til she bumped into the dancing girls. She was caught and they made her join them in their ceremonial dance. One of them held on tightly to her arms and was hurting her with her grasp. But she didn't complain since she was too terrified of what may happen. She started to cry, wanting to scream; wanting to be rescued successfully by the real Zoro.

They danced in a circle with Lacy's back to a dancer girl holding and controlling her. While they kept dancing, the dancer girl - still controlling the movement of her arms - whispered softly into Lacy's ear.

"Stay calm."

_W-what...? _It was Zoro's voice. She turned to look at the dancing girl and wondered if it was her imagination or it really _was _Zoro in disguise.

Her arm movements were a little different now. The dancing girl made one of her arms extend straight in the air and slowly brought it back down. The dancer's lips where gently kissing Lacy's arm as it came back down until she made Lacy's hand rest on the dancer's cheek. The dancing girl placed her other arm around Lacy's and wrapped it around th frightened blonde's waist. Now she was _sure _it was Zoro; trying to calm her down from the horrible situation she was unable to endure.

_Z-Zoro?! But why isn't he... _She figured he was not effected by the chants or smoke because it must only effect intruders the Queen was aware about. It never harms those involved in the ceremony, so with Zoro disguised as a dancing girl, he was in no danger.

All of a sudden, some random pirates came in the room attacking all at once, causing a panic in the crowd. One of them, looking to be the captain, spoke up. "Listen up all you idiots! _We're_ taking over now! We hear Mugiwara Luffy's here, and we're going to claim his reward!!"

That's when Zoro made his move. He twisted Lacy around to face him and held her tight. He ripped off his cloth mouth piece to reveal himself. It was the _real _Roronoa Zoro.

"Z-Zoro!! You're alright!" Lacy exclaimed, a smile reappearing on her face.

Zoro smiled at her then glanced over and flashed one of his clever and evil grins at the Queen, who stared in shock at them.

She finally spoke with a deep, commanding voice. "Roronoa Zoro?! S-stop!"

Zoro snickered and stomped his foot on the platform to reveal a small trap door. He pulled Lacy closer to him and jumped down the trap door. They dropped into an underground water source which seemed to be a small lake traveling under the school. He jumped out onto a nearby deck and ripped off the dancing girl clothes. He was wearing his true outfit - green haramaki, black pants and boots with green shines, his skin tight white unbuttoned shirt, and his black and green bandana tied around his left biceps. He reached for Lacy's hand and pulled her out of the water and wrapped a blanket

(used in the ceremony on the dancing girls' waists) around her cold body as she knelt on the deck.

"Zoro! I'm so glad you're here! I... I thought they might have–"

The swordsman knelt down in front of her. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her hard, cutting her sentence off. His kisses were sensual and hungry. She knew he was acting this way because of everything they had gone through up til now that was terrifying to her. She responded back as if they haven't seen each other in what seemed like forever. They held each other for dear life and kept kissing, forgetting the situation they were still in. They finally broke apart after a minute, then Zoro stood up and helped Lacy to her feet.

"They didn't do anything to you, did they?" He asked, still cupping her cheeks.

"N-no. At least, I don't think they did... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. This place is like a maze. Luckily I found this under water source and set my own trap for them."

"What about those pirates that came in towards the end?"

"I cloaked myself and pretended to be a bounty hunter and tol them Luffy was in here. They were my decoys as they tried to distract those guys while I stole you back."

Her eyes went wide and she gave him a smile that let him know she was touched. "You came for me... you really came to my rescue, Zoro!"

He smiled. "Yeah well, we're not out of this yet. C'mon!"

Zoro grabbed her hand and they both ran out of the building and towards the dock to the Going Merry as fast as they could.

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Zoro ran in front and they could see Luffy and the gang yelling and waving at them to hurry up.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIII!! ZOROOOOOOOOO!! LACYYYYYYYYYYYY!! HAIYAKUUUU!!!" Luffy yelled at them.

They were just about to arrive in front of the Going Merry, when Zoro glanced behind Lacy for a moment and gave a look of surprise. She looked back and saw Nate transforming into some kind of large, hairy, horned monster while chasing after them. He suddenly picked up speed and snatched Lacy.

"ZORO!!"

"No! LACY!!"

She tried reaching out for him, but the monestrous Nate called forth the same 2 large men to take her away in 2 wooden carriages and shrank in the distance.

The monster went back to deal with Zoro, but Zoro was already _way_ beyond mad. He was furiously pissed off. By the time the monster put Lacy in the carriage and turned towards Zoro, he had already put on his bandana and pulled out his three swords and stood in fighting position.

His eyes flared and his teeth sunk into the sword resting in his mouth. "ANO YAROUUUU!!! Oni... GIRI!!!"

Zoro attacked and killed the monster right away, leaving him no chance whatsoever to defend or attack. His fury and ambition was too great to deal with a monster now and made his first and only move more powerful than ever in one blow. When the battle was over, Luffy and Sanji caught up with Zoro.

"Oi, baka!! Where are they taking Lacy-chan?!" Yelled Sanji.

"How the hell should I know?! Let's just go!!"

Luffy nodded his head and the three of them ran down the dirt road to where they've taken Lacy.

--------------------------------------------------

Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji were hauling ass and caught up to the carriages almost right away. Luffy used one of his gum gum attacks to clear the first carriage of sorcerers protecting it while Zoro dealt with killing the driver. Sanji took over the driver's spot and Luffy and Zoro jumped in the back seat. They were now right behind the carriage Lacy was in.

Lacy peeked out behind the large men. "Zoro!!" One of the large men restrained her.

"We're coming Lacy-chan!!" Sanji yelled after her. "Don't you _dare_ touch her, you filthy assholes!!"

There were no guns or weapons of any kind involved in the chase. This was a completely different kind of battle where there were only sorcerers with monstrous powers while Luffy had his fists, Sanji's footwork, and Zoro's santoryu ability. Sanji pulled up to the side of the carriage as Luffy tried to hit the big guys, distracting them long enough for Zoro to reach out and managed to grab Lacy, pulling her into their carriage. After finally being back in Zoro's arms, Lacy felt safe once again.

Zoro grabbed Lacy by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Oi, listen to me. Stay by Sanji in the front seat. It's not over yet."

Zoro turned his head toward the other carriage and Lacy followed his movements. She looked back and saw the 2 large men turning into monsters like Nate did, but still looked human in a strange way like hybrids. She let out a gasp and quickly climbed in front with Sanji, holding into him for dear life.

"Ah! Lacy-chwa! You're so good to me!"

"Sanji! Watch the road!"

"Daijoubu, Lacy-chan. You don't need to worry about anything. We'll take care of them." Sanji smiled and winked at her. She smiled back and felt security with him; even if Sanji _was_ trying to hit on her.

The monstrous men pulled their carriage up behind Luffy and the others and tried to climb aboard to take Lacy back. Zoro and Luffy had a very hard time dealing with them. Every once in a while, they'd grab a hold of Lacy, but either Zoro would attack them to release her or the carriages would hit a bump in the road and make them lose their balance. But Lacy wasn't completely helpless; She fought back and tried kicking and hitting them and even biting them. _It's hard to fight them when I don't have any special ability or power! _She thought while struggling to get away from the monsters._ I'm... basically helpless compared to everyone else... _

"OBUNAI!!" Luffy yelled out as he pointed to a cliff.

But it was too late. The turn was too sharp for them and they were all going to fast to stop. Sanji managed to slow down the carriage slightly, but the carriage the monsters were in ran into them and they both fell over the edge.

Zoro grabbed a hold of Lacy and held her tight in his arms as everyone fell over the side and hung upside down in the air. Lacy freaked out in his arms, but Zoro was doing his best to keep her calm.

"Daijoubu, Lacy! I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you!" She nodded in his chest.

They fell into the ocean where Zoro grabbed Lacy's face and kissed her underwater. It was as if they thought this was the end for them or an impulse Zoro had acted on. As they surfaced finally, there was no sign of the monsters or sorcerers.

"Oi!! Is everyone ok?" Sanji called out to them as he carried Luffy on his side.

"Ah. Where's those freaks?" Zoro asked him.

"Who cares. Let's just get out of here while we still can. Luffy's lost his energy in the water."

As they swam up to shore, Lacy turned and stared back at the cliff. "Ne, Zoro? Did they... drown?"

"Saa na. We got lucky though that we can't see them."

"Well, what if they're using magic to hide themselves? Or worse, what if they escaped and headed back to that school for reinforcements?"

"Hard to say. But if they are, we better get going now." He turned to Sanji. "Oi, perverted cook!! Hurry up already!"

"Shut up!! Why don't _you_ carry Luffy then?!"

Lacy kept staring at the water until Zoro grabbed her wrist. He didn't want her to be kidnaped again like before, so instead of holding her hand as they ran, he carried her on his back. She was finally with Zoro...

--------------------------------------------------

They reached the Going Merry to find Robin being the lookout. She signaled them that they were clear, and they climbed aboard the ship. Luckily no one tried to attack them as they set sail off into the vast green ocean. All this time it was night, but as they sailed away the sun was rising, casting an orange glow across the ocean. It was truly gorgeous.

Zoro kept holding onto Lacy tightly as they both watched the sunrise together. "You're safe now."

"Zoro... why did they... keep us apart? Why did they use me in that ritual?" Zoro just kept staring off into the sunrise. "Zoro. Answer me please. What's you're connection with that blue woman?"

Zoro sighed. "I don't know her. But that one time we were in the market, you and Luffy disappeared from sight. I realized it was _me _that had vanished from the group as I suddenly appeared at that stage. She was standing there as if she was waiting for me and she already knew my name. She called herself 'the Queen' and wanted to talk to me."

"About what?"

Zoro rubbed the back of his neck and tried to find the right words to say. "Well, she was... _interested _in you."

"Me? Why?"

"I'm not really sure, but... she said you possessed something special she wanted. And so she tried to keep me away from you saying you were evil and a fake, like a clone. She was making you sound like you were only using me. Of course I knew that was bull and tried getting away from her."

"But what do _I _possess that she wanted? There's nothing special about me."

"You're wrong, Lacy. You're one of a kind." He rubbed her cheek with his hand. "You possess unique strength and happiness."

She smiled, finding his words cute and corny. "Thank you, Zoro. But I doubt that's what she wanted."

"Maybe. You don't know that."

"Then why all the Zoro clones? Why keep us apart?"

"She knew I was powerful–"

Lacy giggled. "Naturally!"

"She knew we were here and of course knowing our reputation, feared our strength. She found out how close we were and tried keeping us apart so she could get you without dealing with me; who she called your 'protector.'"

"My protector? Try love of my life."

Zoro smiled. "Good answer."

"Then why the clones? If she feared you, would she want to find a way to kill you rather than multiply you?"

"I'm not sure, actually. She's twisted."

"Yeah, she is..."

Zoro bent down and kissed her softly on the lips and held her as they finished watching the sunrise.

_I can't figure out why those sorcerers needed me so badly and what the Queen's deal was with Zoro, but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant, _Lacy thought. _I__have a few theories though... Could it be because they wanted me to turn over to their side and become evil, forgetting all about Zoro and One Piece? Make me a sacrifice and destroy my life to make them immortal? Who knows. As for the Queen and Zoro... maybe the Queen _loved _Zoro and wanted him all to herself by getting rid of me or making copies for her own pleasure. Maybe she envied him or wanted his strength and power - I'll never really know why._

_But for some reason, it really doesn't bother me much... Why? Heh, maybe it's because I know I already have him for myself. _Her eyes bulged a bit in fear, realizing the truth. _Is that my darkest desire...? Was that what Nate was talking about? My darkest desire is to... have Zoro all to myself... it's true! Is that what the Queen wanted? My selfishness for Zoro...? Maybe..._


	17. Ch16: The Devil’s Fruit’s New Master

_** AUTHOR'S NOTE **_ Is this the end of "The Queen"?? Who knows! But it seems as though after that horrid adventure, Lacy's got some serious protection issues to think about... What should she do...?

--

**CHAPTER 16: The Devil's Fruit's New Master**

--

Lacy stared at the Devil Fruit sitting in the opened chest on the table, with her hands on her cheeks while leaning on the table. _What am I going to do... _She played with the fruit and was negotiating with herself whether or not she would eat the fruit. It'd be another sacrifice she'd have to make; no more swimming and she'd risk herself during a storm or anything else that would involve the ocean. But she was pretty balanced and smart, so she wasn't too worried about the ocean. She actually wanted the telekinesis fruit like she had made her character eat, but she didn't want to wait around forever until it shows up. What if someone already ate it? That would suck, then again, her favorite element _is_ water... so why not a water power? She was sick of feeling useless and weak while having her friends protect her. She was the only one onboard that had no fighting talent or a way to protect herself other than using a baseball bat or bokken. It wasn't good enough. She wanted to become strong for their sakes, for Zoro's sake, and for her own... It was a good idea. _Why not?_

She picked up the fruit and stood away from the table. _How would I know the fruit worked?_ She never thought about how she could use her power. She never had to control a power before, duh! But she was willing to try. She brought the fruit closer to her mouth, feeling hesitant and nervous. She gulped. The fruit was right there. Right in front of her lips. She could smell the fruit tingling in her nostrils. She opened her mouth... and took a bite.

She ate the entire fruit until there wasn't anything left but the stem. When she was done, she placed the stem in the chest and waited. It didn't taste very good. It almost tasted like a stale pear (which to her, tasted bitter and was like chewing juiced up cardboard). She turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. She tried thinking of ways she might be able to control her new power. _Maybe if I think about what I want to do, it'll do it. _She held at her arm and concentrated. She thought really hard about making water drip from her arm, but hang so it wouldn't drop on the floor. She thought about it for a while. Nothing. _Maybe it doesn't work that way. Or maybe it doesn't work at all..._

She scratched her head and tried another way. She peeked out on the top deck to see if anyone was there. Robin was reading a book in a lounge chair while Nami sat next to her reading the newspaper. Lacy snuck around the corner where she could be alone. She stared out into the ocean. She raised both her hands and tried to make the water rise. She concentrated hard again on what she wanted to do. Suddenly, the ocean roared, and slowly created a giant wave. She couldn't believe her eyes! She was so excited, she lost concentration and caused the wave to come towards the ship. _Oh crap!!_ The wave fell short in front of her, just barely missing the ship.

She sighed in relief and fell to her knees. She stared at her hands and clenched her fists in excitement. Nami and Robin ran up behind her.

"Oh my God! I can't believe that wave came out of nowhere!" Nami said surprisingly.

"Maybe it was a sea monster. Did you see anything, Miss Artist?" Asked Robin.

"Huh? Oh, uh, no. Nothing. It just came outta nowhere."

"I'll bet that freaked you out. C'mon. Let's go back before it happens again." Suggested Nami.

"Yeah..." Lacy replied. "Let's..."

--

Ever since the wave incident, Lacy trained in secret to learn how to control her powers. She tried new and different ways to use her power. She managed to master turning herself into water, make her body temperature cool like water, she could make water hot or cold, squirt water out of her fingers and hands (she trying to use the whole arm as Mr. 3 did for the giant cake candle). She also mastered the ability to control other sources of water such as some from a glass and the ocean itself. She figured this was pretty much all she could do with her power. She still had trouble controlling it for a certain amount of time, and that was the next thing for her to master: complete control. She wanted to get to the point where her water abilities were like an extension of her own body.

They arrived at the next island, which seemed isolated. Nami saw her indicator, and it had already pointed out their next destination in only 1 hour. Suddenly, as they began to sail away, a huge swarm of sea monsters surrounded the Going Merry; refusing it to sail any further. They tried attacking the ship, but Luffy managed to keep them away with his gum gum attacks. But there were too many and they were too big. Soon, they lifted the Going Merry into the air and juggled between the different monsters trying to snap at it. Everyone held on for dear life, panicking and screaming. Luffy kept trying to get the monster away, but only fell on them and soon he was juggled along with the ship. Everyone yelled at him and called him an idiot for being so simple-minded.

Lacy had an idea. She crawled her way over to the back of the cabin and situated herself to where she could balance. She concentrated on the ocean, and created a wave like before, only bigger and more violent. It crashed onto most of the monsters; causing them to go back underwater and leaving them alone. But one monster got splashed hard in its eyes and shook in a raging fury. It jolted the ship and dropped it from an incredible height. Everyone screamed once again. There was no way Luffy could save the ship when there was nothing to grip without him landing in the ocean.

Lacy flung herself in the front of the ship and tried creating a geyser big and solid enough to catch them. Pain shot throughout her arms as she tried solidifying the water below them. Her efforts weren't in vain. They landed safely on the geyser with only a spray of water climbing over the ship. The geyser slowly brought them back down to the ocean then disappeared. Everyone froze then sighed, relieved that they were saved.

They all turned to face Lacy. She stood there in front of them in shock. _Shit!_ She had revealed her powers in front of anyone. _No! I didn't want them to find out yet!_

Everyone yelled. "NANI?!"

"Lacy, did you... create that?!" Asked Luffy.

"Uh.. I uh.. Er.. Y-yes?"

"USO!" Nami yelled.

"How on earth did you do that?!" Asked Chopper.

"I, uh..."

"What's going on, Lacy?" Zoro walked towards her. He looked confused, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was upset and in no mood for excuses.

"I... wanted to surprise you all on our next adventure, but... it seemed like a good time to help in our situation. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Did you... eat the Devil's Fruit?" Lacy nodded. "When? How did you get it?"

"I got it at that first island we stopped on after leaving my home. We were just re-supplying. I went clothes shopping and thought about getting a weapon so I can help you guys. But I wanted it to be a unique weapon. You have to believe me when I say I never expected it to be the Devil's Fruit. I swear! I found it in a shop and a guy sold it to me cheap because - to make a long story short - he thought it was cursed. I ate it about a little over a week ago. I swear!"

"So what is this? Some kind of, uh, 'liquid' fruit or something?" Nami asked.

"Water, to be more specific. I ate the Mizu Mizu Fruit."

Everyone was in awe. Part of the group wanted to see what else she can do, but Zoro stood still in front of her, pondering what to say.

"I thought I told you I would teach you how to fight?" He finally said.

"I still want you to! I want to learn how to fist fight and sword fight. But at the same time, I wanted to have a power I can call my own. Think about it: everyone has a different ability that signifies who they are. You with your swords and santouryu, Sanji's footwork, Luffy's Gum Gum fruit, Nami with her weather pole, Chopper's Human Human Fruit and deer strength, Usopp's boomerang and bombs, and Robin's Hana Hana Fruit. I've got nothing!"

"What you did was rash and risky." Commented Robin.

"You should've waited to see what you really wanted and not expect it to be given to you instantly." Also commented Nami.

"Minna..." Lacy was confused. Why wasn't anyone happy for her? Did they not see what she can do and her ability to control water? "Why... am I the only one who thinks this is a good thing? I was only trying to help. I've been training my butt off everyday since I ate the fruit to master my skills. I managed to create lots of techniques and attacks! I thought about it first and I am aware of the consequences... Was it not enough?"

"It's not that." Replied Zoro. He walked up to her and hugged her gently.

"Zoro?"

"Now you have to be even more careful in the Grand Line. One wrong move with the ocean and you're dead."

"Wakatteru. I thought about this before I ate the fruit. But now I can have a chance to protect _you_. Won't that be neat?"

Zoro lightly bopped her on the head. "Hn. Baka. You're always so reckless."

She giggled as they squeezed each other. She was glad Zoro understood and was ok with her decision. She now knew that whenever he got upset with her, it was because he cared for her and didn't want to see her hurt. This made her happy.

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper jumped around Lacy, wanting to know right away what else she can do. Lacy laughed and was happy to show them a few tricks; but she left some of her special techniques for the battlefield.


	18. Ch17: Poisoned Love, Unafraid

_** AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Yay! I now have water abilities!! XD sigh but now what? Well in this chapter, I decided to go towards a bit on the dramatic romance side. It's a little cheesy and overdone, but it was a random chapter idea that came to mind so I thought what the hell and went for it. The chapters aren't really random, since in some chapters there are connections, but it's just like _One Piece_ where there are different stories to be told with some secret connections and such. So enjoy!

--

**CHAPTER 17: Poisoned Love, Unafraid **

--

"Shima!!"

Lacy was anxious to see land again and was thrilled when another adventure awaited the Straw-Hat pirates. As the Going Merry ported, Lacy jumped off right away onto land.

"Ne, Zoro! Let's look around!"

"Fine. I need to find a sword shop anyways. I'm out of cleaner."

"I wanna explore too!" Shouted Luffy.

Lacy smiled. "Alright! We can all go together!"

"Someone's got to watch the ship." Suggested Usopp.

Nami came up and patted Usopp on the shoulder. "Good! Thanks for volunteering, Usopp!"

"M-m-m-matte yo, Nami! I didn't volunteer to–" Before he could respond back, Nami and the others were already walking away. "Kuso..."

Zoro, Lacy, and Robin went one way together as they explored the town while looking for supplies they needed. Zoro managed to find a weapons shop and bought some cleaner for his swords while Robin found a few new history books for herself to read. Lacy really didn't need anything, except maybe some new pirate accessories she found in a few shops. They decided it was time for lunch and headed for a restaurant. As they walked down the street, something caught Zoro's eye and he pushed Lacy onto the ground and out of the way.

"Zoro! What was that for–?" She got up on her hands and knees and looked up at Zoro. She froze as she saw a thick silver thread wrapped tightly around his wrist. His sword was already drawn. "What's that?!"

Robin walked over to him and ran her fingers along the thread. "Kore wa... spider web?!"

"Spider web?" Lacy repeated.

Zoro turned his head in the direction it came from and saw a hooded figure hiding in the shadows of an ally with web coming out of his hand. "You're pretty perceptive, Roronoa Zoro."

"Eh? Who's that?" Lacy asked.

"That's what I want to know. What do you want?" He asked the stranger. The hooded man only snickered and jumped over the buildings. Zoro cut the thread and ran after him. "Oi!!"

Lacy and Robin stood staring at their direction. "Should we follow them?" Lacy asked.

"Ee. After all, he knows who we are."

"How do you know that?"

"Roronoa Zoro has a price on his head and so does Luffy and myself."

"Oh, that's right! So you think he's maybe a bounty hunter?"

"Saa na. We should find out."

And with that, they both ran off to follow Zoro and the stranger.

--

They caught up to them in a filed just outside of town. Zoro and the stranger were fighting each other, but this wasn't an ordinary fight. The girls noticed the stranger had eaten the Devil's Fruit and was shooting web from his body. Zoro was having a hard time cutting the thread so it seemed.

"What the hell's up with this thread?!" Zoro yelled.

The stranger snickered. "Heh heh. I ate the Kumo Kumo Fruit and now I have the abilities of a spider!"

Lacy hummed to herself with wondering eyes as she thought of a joke. "Spider-man. Spider-man. Does whatever a Spider-man does..."

The man launched a thick ball of web at Zoro, who managed to dodge it. The ball sprung out and attached itself to some trees behind Zoro. It was now an enormous spider web.

"Na.. Nani?!" Zoro looked back at the web and was shocked. But when he looked back at the stranger, it was too late. The stranger jumped into the air and launched a thick piece of thread at Zoro that sent him flying into the web with his chest covered and locked to it as well.

"Zoro!" Lacy yelled out to him.

Zoro tried cutting the web, but it was no use. "What the hell is this?!"

The stranger snickered. "This is my special death web. It gets thick and hardens so it's impossible to cut. There's no escape, Roronoa Zoro. Now tell me where Mugiwara Luffy is?"

"So you _are_ a bounty hunter?" Asked Robin.

"Yes. My name is Aza, a kaigun bounty hunter."

"Wait... aren't _all _kaigun's bounty hunters?" Asked Lacy.

Aza fell over. "They search for all pirates when I only search for the high rollers!"

"It's the same to me." Lacy stuck out her tongue.

"Now, tell me where Mugiwara Luffy is, Roronoa Zoro!"

Zoro sneered as he tried struggling out of the web. "Hn! What's the matter? Don't you think I'm any challenge for you? Besides, I don't even know where he is."

"Liar! You will take me to him or face death! You're not even a match for me! So much for the price on your head. Everyone else must've been weak!"

"Kisama...!" Zoro yanked his arm away so hard the web snapped. Only his arm was free and he tried get the rest of his body loose.

"Oh no you don't!" Aza jumped in the air and spat a wad of web from his mouth and made a web-like cocoon wrap around Zoro. He was once again stuck to the web, only this time he didn't have his swords or his strength. When Aza landed on the ground, his body had changed. He was now in his hybrid form, where he still looked human, but from his waist down it was a spider's body with long slender hairy legs and a red hourglass-shaped mark underneath his belly.

"Shit!" Lacy's eyes widened. "It's the mark of a black widow!"

Robin gasped. "A black widow?!"

"Kuso!" Zoro struggled within the cocoon. "What the hell's up with this tough thread?!"

"Hang on, Zoro!" Lacy ran after him, trying to think of a way to set him free.

"What can _you_ do, little girl?" Aza shot a piece of thread at her and nailed her against a tree with her arms trapped within the web.

She tried to struggle herself out. "You jerk! Let me go!"

Aza noticed Robin trying to use her ability, but was soon caught as well in a web against a tree. "Don't try anything funny, Nico Robin!" He told her. "I'll make sure you're next in line to die as soon as I kill Roronoa Zoro!"

Lacy gave him an angry glare. "Well, _I _feel unimportant..."

Aza stared at her for a moment and blinked. "Omae wa...!! ...Dare da?"

"I'M WITH THE CREW, BAKA!!"

"You don't look familiar... there's not wanted poster of you I don't think... Well, whether you have a price on your head or not, I'll just turn you over to the navy." He jumped once again into the air and barred his teeth, revealing wet fangs. "Now die, Roronoa Zoro!!"

It was no use. Zoro couldn't even budge out of his hard cocoon. Aza jumped next to Zoro on the web and quickly bent down to bite him. At the last second, Zoro managed to snap one of the sides of the cocoon connecting to the web and flipped around., causing Aza to bite the cocoon instead. But his fangs were so powerful, as Zoro predicted, it cut through the web and Zoro's arm was once again loose. He grabbed his sword on the web next to him and swung it at Aza. He jumped out of the sword's way, but was cut in the arm and blood trickled down his sleeve.

"You bastard!! I'll get you for this!" Aza jumped high into the air and disappeared off into the town while holding on to his bloody arm.

"Well, he didn't seem all that threatening. He fled after a little scratch." Robin smiled.

"Alright Zoro!! You were really--" Before Lacy could finish her sentence, she saw Zoro fall over in pain and was stuck to the web... unconscious. "ZORO!!"

She struggled to get loose, but nothing worked. _Wait a minute!_ She transformed into water and instantly destroyed the web. _Of course!_ She thought. _Water can get rid of spider webs! Duh! _She sprayed a large amount of water at Robin and she too, was set free. They both ran over to where Zoro was hanging.

"Zoro! Zoro, can you hear me?! ZORO!!" Lacy saw him sweating and cringing in pain as he slept upside down in the web. "ZORO!!" She tried spraying water on the web, but nothing happened; it was too thick. _If only there was a water source around here! I could create a wave and... wait! That's it! _Lacy signaled Robin to stand back and she closed her eyes. She concentrated on her power and slowly unleashed a powerful geyser from her arms. Thankfully, it destroyed the web after several minutes of deep concentration. Robin then used her ability to catch Zoro as he fell towards the ground. They ran over to his hot, shaking body.

Lacy held him in his arms. He wouldn't stop shaking. "Zoro?! Zoro!! What's wrong?!"

Robin knelt down in front of him and placed her hand on his forehead. "Oh my God...! He has an amazingly high fever all of a sudden!"

"A fever?! How?!"

"Wait.. Mitte." Robin picked up Zoro's left arm and revealed two deep cuts across his biceps. "These are fang marks; spider fangs."

"What?!"

"Apparently he was scratched by Aza's fangs when he bit through his web and poisoned him."

"P-poisoned?! No!! Zoro, wake up! Zoro!!" She shook him, but nothing seemed to snap him out of his shaking. His pants became deeper and he was sweating a lot more. "We gotta take him to Chopper, now!!"

--

Robin took one arm while Lacy took another while they carried Zoro all the way to the Going Merry. Luckily Chopper was there along with the rest of the gang to help.

"Chopper!" Lacy screamed out. "Chopper! You have to help Zoro! He's been poisoned!"

"Nani?! Bring him to a bed quick!"

Sanji and Usopp helped carry Zoro into Chopper's medical room and laid him out on top of a bed. Chopper came in shortly after carrying a bucket of cold water. He put a cold rag on Zoro's forehead and took out a few instruments from a table nearby. He checked a few things on Zoro's body, then found the fang marks on Zoro's biceps.

"What the...! These are spider bites!" Chopper exclaimed.

"We know." Responded Robin. "Long story short, a bounty hunter who ate the Kumo Kumo Devil's Fruit attacked us and did this to Mr. Swordsman."

Lacy knelt down by the bedside and tears began to swell up in her eyes. "You gotta help him Chopper! Please cure him!! You _do_ have some sort of antidote, don't you?!"

He knelt his head. "...Unfortunately no. But I do have something to stop the poison from spreading until I can get some ingredients from town. I can make a very effective antidote as soon as I can." Chopper took out a needle and a bottle. He stuck the tip of the needle inside the bottle's cap and filled it up with a yellow liquid substance. Lacy's stomach felt sick and she panicked at the sight of the needle. She turned her head away and plugged her ears and closed her eyes. Chopper tapped her on the shoulder to insure her that it was ok to look now.

"You don't like needles, do you?" Asked Chopper.

She shook her head frantically then scooted back over by Zoro. "How is he? Will he be ok?"

"He will be as soon as I make some antidote. Just make sure he doesn't move too much and watch him until I get back."

Lacy nodded and everyone exited the room; all but Sanji, who peeked through the doorway and stared at Lacy. She began to cry, trying not to be too loud. She bent over Zoro and held onto his cold pale hand. "You'll get better. I swear it, Zoro! Please be strong..."

"Lacy-chan..."

--

About 3 hours later, Chopper came back with antidote for Zoro's poison. He injected him again and set the bottle on the dresser nearby.

"The poison has spread pretty far throughout his body. I'll need to give him an injection about twice a day until his fever calms down and he gets some color back in his skin."

"Thank you Chopper..." Lacy never looked at the little deer. She kept staring at Zoro's shaking body, replacing his rag every once in a while with another one that was colder for his forehead.

"Lacy..." Chopper stared at her for a moment and left the room.

She was alone now. She took the extra rag and soaked it with cold water and dabbed it on Zoro's cheeks and neck. He tossed a bit, trying to ease his pain she guessed. He looked like he was being tortured in his sleep. His facial expressions and grunts terrified Lacy and she tried thinking of happy thoughts about them being together; but it didn't work. Her tears wouldn't stop.

"Zoro..."

--

That night, instead of going to bed in her room, Lacy stayed by Zoro's bedside, watching over him. She didn't even eat lunch or dinner that day and everyone was getting a bit worried.

"You should get some sleep." Nami suggested as she creaked open the door.

Lacy shook her head. "I want to watch over him through the night."

Nami sighed. "Well, ok... but please don't make yourself sick." Lacy nodded, never looking at her. Nami sighed again and left.

Lacy never took her eyes off of Zoro. She never even looked at the clock to know what time it was. She could see the moonlight shining through her window out of the corner of her eye. The water was getting warm, and she tried to make it cooler again with her ability. It worked, but only temporarily; she hadn't master all of her moves and abilities yet, and she was getting upset. She noticed Zoro's cold lips and thought about getting him some water; but she didn't want to leave him alone. She titled his head up as she formed a small pool of water cupped in her palm. Water trickled into Zoro's mouth, but it overflowed on the side.

"Come on, Zoro. You have to drink something. Please, open your mouth."

She thought he heard her when she saw his lips part slightly. She smiled and had him slowly drink some water. He coughed after a few moments, and tossed his body again. She began to panic. She didn't want him in pain and it was hard to keep his body still. His fever hadn't gotten any better and the cold water didn't seem to be working too well.

"How am I going to help your fever, Zoro?" She tried talking to him, hoping he would respond to one of her questions. He only grunted in pain. "I.. I think I have an idea. But you're going to have to be still."

She rubbed his cheek and stood up. She took off her shirt and bra and stood over him in only her pants. She climbed under the sheets with him and took off his shirt and haramaki. She lied on top of his body and hugged him gently.

"I'm going to absorb your fever, Zoro. So please have a nice dream tonight, ok?" Zoro panted, but his body finally grew still.

_His body feels like it's on fire... _She thought. _I can only hope this works..._ She held onto him the whole night and soon fell fast asleep.

--

The next morning, Lacy woke up to find him sleeping peacefully. She felt his forehead and sighed in relief that his fever went down. She changed into a new pair of clothes and was changing the water when Sanji came in.

"Lacy-chwa! Breakfast is ready for you!"

"No thank you, Sanji. I'm not hungry."

"But you haven't eaten anything in a long time! Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm... fine." She lied. "I just want to stay here."

"Well... ok, if you say so. Please help yourself to the kitchen if you ever get hungry, ok Lacy-chan?" She nodded and he left.

"I will never leave your side, Zoro. Not until your better again..."

--

Three days past, and Lacy never stepped foot out of her room. She never ate, barely spoke to anyone, and she was starting to look pale herself. Everyone was getting worried.

"Wow... she really loves Zoro, doesn't she?" Suggested Usopp.

"Well, I think it's romantic!" Responded Nami.

"Lacy-chan hasn't eaten anything in days. This is serious." Commented Sanji, looking at her closed door.

"Maybe some meat with help them both!" Sanji kicked Luffy in the head.

Nami sat up from the table. "I'll go see what's up." She walked towards the medical room and knocked on the door. "Lacy?"

"I'm not hungry!" She heard her yell from inside. Her voice sounded weak and dry.

She opened the door and walked inside. "I'm not offering food, although you _should_ eat something Lacy–" She stood inside the doorway in shock. Lacy looked pale and thin and her hair was out of place. Her eyes were bloodshot and her fingers looked raw and wrinkled from handling the wet rags.

"L-Lacy! You look awful!"

"I'm fine. Maybe a little sleepy, but nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?! You look a mess! You should lie down..."

"I said I'm fine! I want to keep watching Zoro." She gave Nami a weak smile. "You know, he mumbled something last night! I couldn't understand him, but at least he's–"

Nami shook her shoulders. "You need some rest, Lacy! I mean it!"

Lacy pushed her away. "I'll rest when he's better! He's almost there, I know it!" Nami stood up and backed away from her. Lacy crawled towards Zoro and held his hand. "I know it..."

Nami left her alone and closed the door behind her. When she entered the kitchen, everyone was waiting for her response.

"She looks... awful." She finally spoke.

"WHA?! Lacy-chwa!! You can't get depressed!!"

"Where's Luffy?" Nami asked.

"He went to find that Aza guy Robin told us about. He wants to get him back for what he's done to Zoro." Usopp responded.

Her eyes widened. "R-really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He looked pretty pissed too. Said he was also getting revenge for all the trouble he's costing Lacy."

Nami knelt her head and smiled. "Luffy..."

--

Zoro finally woke up the fourth morning. He tried to sit up and held his head, feeling weak from the lack of movement and exercise.

"What... happened?" He looked around the room and noticed he was in the medical room's bed. He looked down and found Lacy sleeping next to the bed with her arms resting on the side next to him. "Lacy?"

He rubbed her shoulder, but she didn't move. He turned her over gently and found her face as thin and pale as ever. "Lacy!! Oi! Wake up!"

"_Don't_ shake her, you idiot!!"

Zoro turned to find Sanji standing at the doorway. "Look at her! She looks sick!"

"Yeah, no thanks to _you!_ Teemee!"

"What did _I_ do?!"

Sanji walked over to Lacy and picked her up in his arms. "You made her worried sick. Literally! She's been watching over you for 3 days straight."

"She what?!"

Sanji pushed Zoro back down into the pillow. "You need to rest still! Just because you can move doesn't mean your healthy again."

"Kisama!! I outta–"

"Oh will you two STOP fighting!!" Nami stomped into the room angry. "Sanji-kun! Don't piss Zoro off right now especially when he finally woke up! He's still recovering, baka!!"

"Hai Nami-san!!"

Chopper ran in behind her. "Zoro! You're awake finally!"

"Ah. Was I really out for 3 days?"

"Yeah! You were poisoned from that spider guy."

"Oh yeah... that's right. I remember fighting him and he was trying to kill me and trapped me in a web..."

Chopper put his hoof on his forehead. "You're fever's almost gone! I'm surprised your able to sit up when you hadn't eaten or drank anything in three days!"

"Miss Artist gave him water." Robin now stood at the doorway.

"Nani?" Sanji looked at her blankly.

She chuckled. "You know, you have a very devoted lover, Mr. Swordsman. She never left your side. Ever. You owe your life to her."

"She... stayed with me... the whole time?" He looked back at her in Sanji's arms.

Sanji pushed him back down in his pillow again. "You rest! I'll take care of Lacy-chan!"

"Kisama! Why do you–"

"Be quiet, Zoro!" Nami shouted. "For God's sake, she hasn't slept or eaten anything in three days! She needs rest now. You better do the same."

"I guess I gotta make you some food, eh?" Sanji commented as he walked out the door. He mumbled something under his breath, but it was too low for anyone to hear. It was most likely him swearing at Zoro.

"Lacy..."

--

Lacy woke up the next day to a bright sunny afternoon. She stayed lying down, but noticed she was wearing her pajamas and in her own bed.

"'Morning, or should I say 'afternoon'."

Lacy turned and saw Zoro sitting in a chair next to the bed.

"Zoro!" She tried to sit up, but fell back down in pain from her empty stomach.

"Now _you're_ the one that needs medical attention. Look what you've done! I get sick for three days and you have to go and get yourself sick as well!"

"Sorry... h-how do you feel?!"

Zoro sighed and hit Lacy gently on the head. "Baka. Why are you always so reckless? You've been out for a little over a day." She turned away from him. "I'm only playing with you. I know what you did for me. Thank you."

She smiled widely at him. "I'm so happy you're alright."

"I'm still a little dizzy, but well enough to get up and walk around, that's for sure. You?"

"I was really tired. But I didn't want to fall asleep with you tossing in pain! I guess I shouldn't have starved myself though, huh?"

"No, you shouldn't have!" He let out a long sigh. "But at least you're awake. Will you eat _now_?!"

She giggled. "Yes! I'm starving!"

"Well, you'd be inhuman if you weren't after four days of not eating a thing!" He smiled at her and placed one knee on the bed and bent over her body. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Thank you. Now, let's go get something to eat together."

She nodded. "Ok!"

Zoro helped support her as they both walked upstairs into the kitchen were they were greeted by everyone. Sanji gave them plenty of food and they talked about what happened. Lacy noticed Luffy in bandages and asked what happened.

"He went after Aza." Replied Robin.

"What?! Really? So I take it you won, ne Luffy?" She smiled.

He gave her a wide grin. "Hee hee! Yup!"

Zoro sat at the table pissed off at the fact that he couldn't finish Aza off himself. He turned to look at Lacy and stared at her beautiful smiling face; and he smiled back at her. _Then again, I already put her through so much trouble. I'll let it go just this once._

* * *

Like I said... it's a bit dramatic. Sue me!! O3O


	19. Ch18: Lacy's 'Little' Secret

_** AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Eh heh heh... I think this is how Zoro would react if something like this happened to him... :blush: Moving on!

--

**CHAPTER 18: Lacy's 'Little' Secret **

--

"Does anyone know what's up with Lacy lately?"

Usopp, Robin, and Chopper were sitting in a circle playing cards when Usopp started making conversation.

Nami kept staring at her cards. "I don't know. She seems fine to me."

"Now that you mention it," pondered Chopper, "she hasn't been eating a lot lately and she seems to have slight mood swings every now and then."

"That's what I as thinking. She even snapped at me a couple times already.

"Aha! Full house!!"

"Nami! Aren't you even listening to us?" Usopp complained.

"I am! Look, maybe it's that time of the month for her or something."

"AAAAAAAAHH!!" Usopp and Chopper covered their ears. "We don't want to know that!!"

"Leave her alone!" Sanji walked over to them, offering only Nami an ice tea. "She's allowed to be angry sometimes! Besides, she look so cute when she's angry!"

"Oh come off it, Sanji..." Mumbled Usopp.

"What did you say, long-nose?"

"I _told_ you not to call me that! You wanna fight?!"

"Bring it on."

"Alrighty then!" Usopp turned to Zoro, who was sitting against the railing. "Go get him, Zoro!!"

A sweat drop fell down his head. "Oi, fight your own battles..."

While Sanji and Usopp fought with each other, Zoro went back to thinking about Lacy's moods recently. _She seems to be getting... irritable lately, _he thought. _But only to the others. She's nice to the girls and doesn't eat much anymore. On top of that, it's almost like she's... been avoiding me or something._

Zoro got up to walk inside the cabin when he bumped into Lacy who was apparently coming out. "Yo." He said casually. Lacy seemed to have panicked and chuckled shyly as she ran back inside. _What was that all about?_

He was getting impatient. For the past week, Lacy had been avoiding him and has been acting strange. She locks herself in her room most of the time and is never social anymore. Zoro walked over to Nami. "Oi. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" She asked, putting the cards back in the box.

"It's about Lacy. Can you..." He paused, trying to find the right words. He rubbed the back of his head. "C-can you... er... talk to her or something? Can you find out what's wrong with her lately?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"I can't. She runs away frm me whenever I approach her."

"That's because she's realizing what a big scary oaf you are."

"OII!!"

Nami smiled and slapped him on the shoulder. "Ok then! But for a price!"

"I'M TRYING TO BE NICE HERE AND YOUR ASKING FOR MONEY?! She's your nakama too"

"Alright! Alright! You don't have to shout! I'll go talk to her."

Zoro huffed and walked away. Nami went inside and grabbed another ice tea. She carried 2 glasses to Lacy's room and knocked on the door. "Lacy?"

"Nami?"

"Yeah! Can I come in and have a girl chat with you?"

The door opened and Lacy's head peeked around the corner. "Just you?"

"Sure! Why? Do you want to talk to someone else? Perhaps Zoro?"

"N-no! I mean... please! Come in!" She held the door open for her and Nami walked in and sat on the bed. She held out a glass to her.

"Ice tea? It's lemon!"

She took the glass out of her hand and sat down next to her. "Thanks."

"So," Nami began. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Really? Because everyone else thinks there's something wrong. Are you feeling ok?"

"I knew that was why you wanted to come in." She sighed and turned away from her. "I'm fine."

"Something tells me otherwise. C'mon! You can tell me! I swear I won't say a word to anyone if it's that personal!"

Lacy gazed at her, shifting her weight uncomfortably on the bed. "N-no... I can't let anyone know... not yet, I guess..."

"Please? I SWEAR I won't tell a soul! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

"I don't want to!"

"Why not?"

"Because I have to figure out what to do, alright?! Drop it!" She stood up; the volume in her voice increased and she was almost yelling.

"Well, maybe I can help. If you would at least tell someone, then–"

Lacy;s face grew red. "I SAID NO!!" She was yelling now. "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE–" She paused. Her face went pale instantly and her body froze. She hunched over and her mouth dropped. Her cheeks puffed up and she covered her mouth. "O-oh God...!" She ran straight for the bathroom as fast as she could. And when she got there, she vomitted.

"Lacy! Oh my God! Are you alright?!" Nami ran after her to the bathroom and stood at the doorway. She found Lacy sitting on the ground in front of the toilet, with her head over the seat and her hands on her stomach. Her eyes went wide as she bagan to put everything together in her head. "L-L-Lacy... you're not... are y-you... _pregnant?!_" Lacy looked up at her slowly and stared. Nami's jaw dropped. "OH MY GOD!! YOU _ARE?!_" Lacy nodded. "Is THAT what's going on?!"

"Y-yes! P-please don't tell anyone! Especially Zoro! I don't want anyone to know!"

"Why?! This is _big_ news! When did this happen?!"

"A-about 8 days ago... I was getting upset and had nothing but painful cramps for the past month when I skipped my period. Then I realized I had no appetite except for certain things - the same things - and then I threw up a few days ago. I looked up information for this sort of illness and found out that I just had to be... you know... pregnant."

"You should tell Zoro! He _is_ the father, isn't he?" Lacy's head dropped and her head nodded slightly. "OH MY GOD!! I can't _believe_ this is the same Roronoa Zoro who wouldn't give anyone the time of day! And now he's having a baby?! T-that means he... you...!" Her eyes bulged. "_You guys have slept with each other!!_"

Her face turned red with embarrassment. "I love him ok! And he loves me too! So it's only naturally if we... I mean... _why_ am I talking about my sex life?! We're having a baby and I don't know how to tell him!"

"Why? Are you afraid or something?"

"Yes! I'm terrified of how he'll react! Like you said, he's Roronoa Zoro. Can you even _imagine_ how he'll react when I tell him he's going to be a father?!"

Nami scratched her head. "I guess you're right... but he has to know!"

"I know! But... I don't know..." Her eyes began to fill up with tears. "I'm just afraid he'll... I don't know... he might get angry, or shun me, or... just not be happy or something..."

"Well, he _better_ not get mad at you! After all, it's _his_ fault for getting you pregnant! It's the man that has to do the job!"

"Um... thanks?" Lacy felt awkward talking to Nami and her and Zoro's "affairs," but at the same time, she was a little bit relieved for having at least _someone_ know about her secret; especially a female.

"So, when are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. I guess when I figure out _how_ to tell him."

"Well, it's got to be soon. You won't be able to hide this forever. Or avoid him."

"I-is it that obvious?!"

Nami nodded her head. "Yeah. I think he's getting a little antsy."

Lacy's head dropped again. "Great... he's probably thinking I'm mad at him or something..."

"Ah, forget about his attitude. But at least one of us knows what's with all of your mood swings and everything."

"Is... everyone mad at me? I don't mean to be this way."

"Nah! Don't pay any attention to them. They're all a bit curious is all. Sanji of course, thinks you're the same."

She giggled. "Of course."

"Aha! There's a smile! C'mon. Let's grab some more tea and cakes."

She got up and wiped her tears. "Ok."

They were walking out the door when Zoro bumped into them. They stared at each other for a while. Lacy tried to look away, but when their eyes met, it was hard not to look at him. Nami kept looking back and forth between them and smiled.

"Well! I'm going to grab those glasses and take them to the kitchen. You two can talk until I come back down with those cakes, ok Lacy?" She winked at her and left the room. They stood there in silence. Zoro rubbed the back of his head and Lacy played with her earlobe.

"So..." Zoro started. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah! I'm fine. I'm just... stressed, is all."

"About what?"

She was beginning to fee very uncomfortable. She guessed it was because of her strange mood swings, but she knew well that it was because she was afraid of her secret slipping out. "Just... stuff. Personal problems, I guess. Oh! And I've been having a major artist block, so that's irritating me." She smiled up at him.

"I think it's more than that if you've been avoiding everyone. Does it have to do with me?"

"N-no!! I'm just.. You know–"

He took a step closer to her and his eyes narrowed. "Really?"

She gulped. "Y-yes!"

He looked in her eyes. "Fine. I'll catch you later then. "

He walked away and almost ran into Nami, who was carrying a small tray of cakes and ice tea. "So, how did it go?" Lacy just knelt her head in shame. "That bad, huh?"

"I didn't tell him. I couldn't..."

--

It was Zoro's turn to watch for the night. He sat in the crow's nest with a blanket wrapped around him and he stared up at the dark sky. _Watching the ship is so troublesome!_ He thought. _All I want to do is sleep... _Just then, he heard someone climbing up the rope and saw 2 tiny feet swing over the side of the nest.

"Hey."

"Hey. What are you doing up here?" Zoro asked.

Lacy sat down next to him and tucked her legs under her chin. "Just wanted to see you. You act like it's late or something. Everyone's still in the kitchen chatting."

"Then why am I standing guard so early?!"

"Well, it's late at night, but the right time to watch. You know, technically every pirate fleet has a pirate being the lookout 24/7."

"Good for them." He huffed and looked back up at the sky.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

"What is?"

"The stars."

"I guess."

She turned her head slightly to look at him. "Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think... about kids?"

He looked at her blankly. "What do you mean?"

"You know, kids. Like, do you like them or no?"

He thought about it for a moment then adjusted his blanket. "I guess they're ok. But they're noisy, always whining, troublesome, and seem to never listen to reason."

"O-oh..."

"Why are you asking me this?"

"I was just curious. I mean, it's hard to imagine you having a girlfriend, so I was trying to imagine you with kids."

"Who's kids?"

"Yours."

His eyes widened. "MINE?!"

She faked her laugh and smiled. "Yeah! I can't imagine you with kids."

"Well, that makes two of us."

"Do you ever want kids?"

"Not really. I'm sure they'll be a pain."

Lacy's eyes started to fill up with tears, but she quickly turned the other way and "casually" wiped her eyes. "I think with... the p-proper parenting, they can b-be alright."

"What are you getting at?"

"N-nothing. Like I said, curious is all."

"Lacy? Are you ok? You look pale. And you're shaking. Are you cold?" He opened up his blanket and offered her some, but she moved away and stood up. "Lacy?"

"I gotta go..." She quickly leaped over the side of the nest and climbed down as fast as she could. Zoro stood up right away and leaned over the side to wonder what she was doing. Before she reached the ground, he could hear her crying.

"Lacy? What's wrong?! LACY!!" She ran into the cabin and slammed the door behind her. "Was it something I said?"

--

"Lacy-chan? What's wrong?" Sanji was cleaning up plates when Lacy stormed in with her face red and her hands balled into fists at her side.

Nami stood up. "Lacy?"

Lacy snapped her head back at everyone and yelled. "Just leave me alone! I just... I just... GAH!!" She ran downstairs into her room and everyone heard her door slam.

Usopp scratched his head. "What was _that_ all about?"

"Was she crying?" Asked Robin.

Nami just stood in her spot staring at the hallway Lacy ran down. "No... It can't be... Oh, Lacy..."

--

"ZORO!!"

Nami stormed out of the cabin and found Zoro already half way down the rope from the crow's nest.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"Stop shouting! I was only coming down for a minute to talk to Lacy."

"That's not what I meant! Did you guys talk a moment ago?!"

Zoro was on the ground now. "Yeah. But she seemed upset."

"WELL?! What did you guys talk about exactly?" Everyone else peeked quietly out of the side of the door of the cabin and they watched in silence.

"Let's see... We first talked about the sky, then about kids."

"AND?!"

"Stop shouting already! Just about my opinion on having kids."

"_What_ did you say to her?!"

"Is she really that upset?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Nami was up in his face now.

"What the hell's your problem, woman?! All I said was that they're noisy and that having kids is not on my 'to do' list!"

_SMACK!!_

Nami's hand slapped across Zoro's face, leaving his cheek red. He didn't move for a moment, staring off into wherever his mind drifted to the moment her hand met his face. He slowly rubbed his cheek and looked at Nami, who was now in tears.

"HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING?! YOU'RE A HORRIBLE INCONSIDERATE JERK!!"

"What the hell did I friggin' say?!"

"NOTHING RIGHT, THAT'S FOR SURE!! YOU MADE LACY CRY!! DID YOU EVER EVEN CONSIDER ABOUT WHAT SHE'S GOING THROUGH?!"

"No one will tell me! She won't tell me! So how the hell am I suppose to know what to do or even say when I have no fucking idea what's wrong?!"

"YOU!! _THAT'S _what's wrong!!" She turned her back to him and hid her hands in her face. "You selfish asshole..."

"WILL SOMEONE _PLEASE _FILL ME IN ON WHY EVERYONE'S MAD AT ME?! Why won't she talk to me?!"

Nami turned back to face him. "Because she's afraid of you!!"

"Afraid of _me_?! Why?!"

"Because she's afraid you'll dump her!! Or hate her!! Or... just not love her anymore!!"

"Why would I not love her anymore?! She knows I–"

"OH WILL YOU THINK FOR A MINUTE FOR ONCE?! LACY'S PREGNANT, YOU ASS!!"

Everyone gasped and their jaws dropped. Zoro's eyes blanked out. He stared off into the distance, not knowing what to say or do. His throat went dry, and his body felt cold. He felt numb from the words buzzing over and over in his mind.

He cleared his throat. "What... did you say?"

Nami took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "She's _pregnant!!_ As in having a baby? _Your _baby!! You should know at least what that is!!"

"Why... didn't she just tell me?"

"I already told you why! She was afraid you'd hate her!"

Zoro tried wobbling his legs forward in the direction of the cabin. He didn't even care that everyone was staring wide-eyed at him.

"I'm... going to go..."

"And where are YOU going?!"

"To talk to Lacy."

Everyone moved out of his way as he walked into the cabin and down the stairs. Nami let him go. It seemed like the right thing for him to talk to Lacy. She wanted them to talk things out and she felt as though her job was done. She knew she swore to Lacy about keeping this a secret, but it felt like it was better for him to know now and through her than Lacy trying. Everyone went outside to Nami. Sanji walked up behind her and offered her his coat.

"Are you ok, Nami-san?"

"I'm fine..."

Chopper's eyes widened. "Is it really true, Nami?! Is Lacy going to have a baby?"

She nodded her head. "Hai."

Luffy laughed hysterically. "Zoro's going to have a baby?! COOL!!"

"So Zoro's going to have a kid?! This is unimaginable!" Commented Usopp.

"Ee. But how did you know, Miss Navigator?" Robin asked.

"She... told me earlier today. She just found out about a week or so ago. She threw up when I found out about it..."

"Why did she throw up, Nami? Does being pregnant make you sick?"

"For a doctor, you don't know much about these kind of things, do you?" Usopp asked, bending down to look at Chopper.

Nami ignored his comment. "Yes, Chopper. It can make you sick and have mixed feelings at the same time. Sometimes if you're stressed or nervous, you get sick and throw up or pass out."

"Oh..."

"Want me to go after Zoro and kick his ass, Nami-san?"

"No. This is a good time for them to... figure things out."

--

_Knock! Knock!"_

"GO AWAY!!"

Zoro opened the door to Lacy's room and found her hiding under the covers of her bed sheets. He could hear her sniffling and crying.

"Lacy...?" She didn't say anything. "Lacy. I want to talk to you." Still silence. "Lacy. C'mon. Talk to me. At least look at me–" He tried pulling the covers off of her, but she yanked them back. "I want to talk to you about being pregnant."

The sheets flung up and Lacy stared at him with wet angry eyes. "What?! How did you–"

"Nami told me."

"I TOLD her not to say anything!"

"Lacy, listen to me. Don't be mad at her." He tried to give her a hug, but she jerked herself away and lifted the sheets up to cover her face. "Lacy. Why did you hide this from me?"

"B-b-because!"

"That's not good enough."

"Because! ...You would get mad at me!"

"Whoever gave you that idea?"

She paused for a moment. "No one. But I knew you would!"

"Am I?"

"Of course!"

"You're not even looking at me! I'm not yelling!"

"You are now!"

"That's because you're not trying to talk to me about this. Now get rid of the covers." He pulled them off her face fast enough so she couldn't react. He stared at her bloodshot eyes and wet face. She looked a mess. "You're making yourself upset for no reason." She didn't reply; she only sat there trying to stop herself from crying. He leaned over again to try and hug her. This time she didn't resist, but didn't embrace him back. "When did this happen?"

"I swear I only knew about it a week ago! I was going to tell you! But... I had to find the right time! And..."

"I don't understand something. I've always used protection. So how did you get pregnant?"

"I guess... one of them broke."

"You may be right."

"Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"You're not... going to leave me... are you?"

Zoro pulled her away from him and bopped her on the head. "Baka. Of course not. You think something like this will make me leave you? Or even hate you?"

"I just... wasn't sure, is all."

"Well, you don't have to worry." He kissed her on the forehead as he leaned her back on the bed. He lifted up her shirt and pulled down her shorts slightly.

"Z-Zoro! W-what are you doing?"

"Sssh." He rested his head on her stomach. "I just want to hold you like this. Both of you."

She smiled and petted his hair. "I'm sorry again... for all of this..."

"Baka. There's nothing to apologize for. It's just strange seeing you so emotional and dramatic."

"I-It's not me. Really. This is what happens when you're... preggo." She felt weird saying the word out loud in front of him. "I read up on this."

He tightened his grip a little around her. "I love you, Lacy. No matter what."

She smiled as she continued to stroke his hair. They closed their eyes and fell asleep together as they were without anyone bothering them.

--

The next morning, Zoro and Lacy walked upstairs together holding hands and faced everyone with a smile on their faces. When they walked into the kitchen and found everyone looking at them from the table, they told them the news. Everyone was happy for them; everyone that is, except Sanji who thought it was unfair for Zoro to have kids before him. Nami apologized for her rough behavior from earlier, but for the first time ever, Zoro forgave her since he thought he deserved it. She punched him in the shoulder and laughed and rejoiced with Lacy. Zoro smiled at Lacy, who smiled back as they stood by each other to face their greatest challenge ever:

Parenting.


	20. Ch19: First Time for Everything

_** AUTHOR'S NOTE **_Just so everyone knows, it's been a few months since the crew goes to the next island in accord to the last chapter. Doesn't mean it took three months for them to find the next island; stuff happened in between, but I'm fast forwarding to now. :) So some time has passed after the last chapter... So enjoy!

--

**CHAPTER 19: First Time for Everything **

--

The crew was making preparations for docking the ship once they made port. Nearly 5 months after Zoro and Lacy's announcement of their new baby, the crew arrived on Root Island. It seemed to always be windy there and gave everyone a reason to wear hats and warmer clothing.

Lacy got off the Going Merry wearing her usual bandana to keep her hair in place. She was also wearing a pair of blue jeans, boots, and a white shirt with a black long-sleeve shirt underneath. She decided to go exploring as usual with the company of Usopp, Chopper, and Zoro. Luffy and the others went about their own ways into town and decided to meet up at a certain time. As Lacy and the others walked around town, the wind seemed to be picking up.

"Are you cold?" Zoro asked Lacy as he noticed her holding herself.

"A little." She replied. "The wind's getting a bit chilly."

Usopp and Chopper on the other hand were freezing so bad that they could hear their own teeth chattering.

"I-i-i-i-it's so c-cold!!" Usopp complained.

"M-m-m-make the wind s-s-stop!" Chopper asked.

Zoro sweat dropped. "It's not THAT cold!"

"Y-y-yes it is!!" They said together.

Lacy suddenly felt her body shift. "Eh?"

"Doushita?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know. Just now I felt as if the wind was pushing me."

"It's picking up, so it's probably throwing you off balance."

She shook her head. "Not like that. I mean I feel like it's guiding me, like it has a mind of it's own or something."

"Huh?" He stopped for a moment to see if he could feel anything. After a moment of standing, he felt nothing. "You're probably imagining things, Lacy."

She hesitated. "Maybe... it was just so weird..."

"Run!! Run for it now!!" A man yelled out to the streets.

"It's the Flying Brothers! Run now! Get inside!!" Another man yelled. They noticed the entire town was running inside shops and homes as if something dangerous was coming at them.

"Huh? What's going on?" Usopp asked.

Chopper stopped a man running past them. "Sumimasen, what's going on?"

"Get inside now!" He replied.

"Why?" Zoro asked.

"It's the Flying Brothers!" A woman yelled behind the man.

"Who are they?"

"They're the men who control this area! They're ruthless! Do yourselves a favor and get out of sight before they catch you!" And with that, he ran inside the nearest building.

"Flying Brothers?" Chopper said. "Should we do as the man said?"

Before anyone could reply, a powerful gust of wind rushed against the gang, pushing them back nearly off their feet. Two machines flew over them with two men riding on them laughing loudly. They looked as if they were riding miniature bike planes with large propellers winding in the back and another large one in the front. They noticed the gang and flew in front of them. It wasn't until later that the gang realized they were the only people in sight.

One of the men laughed. "Kyakakakakaa!! Look what we've got here, aniki! Looks like a gang of outsiders!"

The other man joined in his laughter. "Kyukukukukuu!! Looks like it nii-chan! Guess they don't know the laws around here, do they?"

"Let's put them in their proper place!"

The gang sweat dropped. "Um... we can hear you both..."

The crew took a closer look at them as they descended on their air crafts. The first man was tall and very skinny with a long pointed nose. He was wearing a short dark blue jacket the showed off his slender stomach. He had on mahogany red pilot pants with a large belt buckle across the top and large black and dark blue combat boots. He wore thick brown gloves and black pilot goggles over his eyes. His hair was wild and messy. It had a feathery look to it with it spiked back in a Mohawk with the sides shaved except for two small thick pieces of hair that acted as sideburns in front of his ears. His hair was teal with light pink highlights streaking the Mohawk. The other man was smaller and a bit on the heavier side with a short pudgy pointed nose. He wore similar clothing: his jacket was a forest green with dark grey pilot pants and black and green combat boots. He also had brown gloves and black pilot goggles covering his eyes. He had a pilot helmet on with the straps hanging loose on the sides. His hair was just as messy with it sticking out of the helmet on all sides. His hair was orange with purple highlights.

Lacy sweat dropped. "Um... they look like birds."

"Seems that way." Chopper agreed.

"Are the men?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"What about bird men?" Usopp suggested.

"URUSAI!!" They both yelled. "We're the Flying Brothers!!"

"More like flying birds, if you ask me. They're jokers."

"That's it!!" The pudgy man swooped down over their heads trying to grab for Lacy, but she was smart and hit the floor rather than kneeling. The pudgy man glared at his failed attempt. _She was clever enough to let her body fall so she didn't have to fight the wind for balance to avoid me... _He thought."Nii-chan, this one's pretty smart."

"Oh yeah?" They both swooped in this time, reaching out for whoever they can hurt. The crew did their best to stay balanced, but it proved difficult with their air crafts acting like giant fans.

"Enough of this!" Zoro took out his swords and waited for them to descend.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Usopp asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm gonna stop those machines."

"Why not just clip their wings? Then those bird brains won't be able to fly anymore." Lacy giggled at her own joke then realized she was the only one who enjoyed it. She cleared her throat. "I-I guess I'm the only one who... thought that was funny..."

Chopper, who was in his half human form, looked down at Usopp. "I don't get it, do you?" Usopp just shrugged.

Now she was embarrassed. "N-never mind, guys..."

Both of the men gritted their teeth in anger. "Did you just hear what she said, nii-chan?!"

"I sure did, aniki!

His brother smiled. "Looks like these guys aren't going to run. Let's just get the smart-mouth girl and take her back to the boss."

He nodded. "Good idea, aniki!"

They split and dove at the gang, coming at them from opposite sides. Zoro took out two of his swords and readied himself for their attack.

"Niitoryuu: Tatsumaki-- Uwaao!!" Zoro shifted violently from side to side, trying to maintain his balance from the sudden powerful gusts of wind from both the island and the Flying Brother's machines.

"Zoro!" Chopper yelled in concern.

Zoro fell to his knees and tried his very best to re balance himself. "Kuso! There's too much wind around for me to even do a long-ranged attack!" He looked back at his nakama." Chopper. Usopp. It's up to you two."

"Eh?!" Usopp gulped. "W-w-w-why us?!"

"Because unless they get close enough for me to slash them, my attacks will do no good if I can't balance in this wind. And Lacy's water techniques are useless as well with the wind blowing in every direction."

"Yosh!" Chopper beat his fists together. "Count on us!"

Usopp yelled at him. "O-OI!!"

The Flying Brothers began to fly around the crew. Faster and faster, they rode their bike planes around until they were trapped inside of a tornado-like perimeter. Before they knew it, the pirates were thrown off the ground and into the swirling typhoon.

"Oi, minna! Grab a hold of each others hand!" Zoro yelled out to everyone.

"A-ah!"

They all tried to reach for each other, inching closer and closer with all their might, until Lacy's leg was quickly pulled back and was swept far away from the rest of them.

"Zoro!!" She called out.

"Lacy! Hold on!" Zoro tried pulling his way up the wind toward his love, when she suddenly disappeared from his sight. His eyes widened. "Lacy?! Lacy! ...Eh?"

In almost an instant, the wind stopped. The boys fell hard to the ground, thankful that they weren't too far above it. When everyone recovered, they noticed Lacy was completely gone.

Zoro's eyes went wide. "Kuso!! Those damn bird men took Lacy!"

--

"Ack!" Lacy was dumped in an empty grass field outside of the town. She looked around and saw that she was not the only one there. "Robin!"

Robin was walking towards her, observing the area. "Seems like they got you too."

"How did they get you? _You're_ fruit abilities would be much more useful with their wind than mine."

She nodded. "Eh. But their wind is strangely powerful. A tornado was whirling towards the Going Merry and I tried using my ability to grab a hold of everyone, but as soon as it got closer, it was too powerful for any of us to hang out and we were blown away. This wind is not normal."

"Talking about me, are we?"

The girls looked above them and saw a tall slender man riding on top of a miniature cyclone. He had long grey hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. He had a long brown trench coat on that was belted together across his chest and waist. Jeans and boots completed the outfit.

The man smiled as he descended towards the ground. "You ladies seemed to have upset my men."

"They're cheeky little wenches, onii-sama!" The Flying Brothers shouted at him.

"So you must be the older brother in charge of this whole operation I take it?" Lacy asked the man.

He raised an eyebrow. "Their brother? No, they only call me that because I am their close superior comrade. These two are Gachou" he pointed at the slender man, "and Kakkou," he pointed at the pudgy man.

Lacy sweat dropped. "Even their names are after birds..."

"You're a Devil's Fruit user, aren't you?" Robin asked, already knowing the obvious.

He nodded. "I am Jiten and the ate the Kaze Kaze no Mi."

"That's why it felt like the wind had a mind of it's own back in town..." Lacy recalled.

"Oh? Seems like I'm losing my edge of strangers can sense my power within the wind. But I simply cannot let any of you leave."

"Then why'd you bring us here? What is your purpose?" Robin asked.

Jiten held out his hands. "Simply to increase my power. It has been so boring scaring the villagers that lately I've grown restless. And since these two have said you've angered them, I thought I might as well have some fun."

Lacy looked at her nakama. "You angered them? I thought you said you were swept away by a tornado?"

"We were. I don't understand..."

"Omae da!!" Kakkou pointed at Robin. "You were insulting onii-sama's power!"

She blinked. "When...?"

"You said 'that tornado is nothing, don't worry about it.'!! You have insulted onii-sama's power and basically called him weak!!"

"Nande? It was a tornado. No one usually thinks that someone was behind natural disasters." She shrugged it off.

"OMAE!!"

"Calm yourself, Kakkou. You and your brother can finally have some play time with them." He glided back towards some rocks and let his mini cyclone set him gently on a boulder big enough to be a chair. "As I've said, I've grown bored lately, so make this a slow entertainment, boys."

"Hai! Onii-sama!" They said together.

And with that, the Flying Brothers attacked them again. The pudgy younger brother who was called Kakkou flew towards Lacy while his slender older brother Gachou went after Robin. The women smiled, already sensing the men's overconfidence towards them just because they were women. They distanced themselves; leaving each other room for attacks without hurting one another.

While Robin dealt with Gachou using her handy ability, Lacy on the other hand was having some trouble. Unless she had the ability to freeze her water, her power was almost completely useless. She tried many ways and many techniques to try and find something that would at least do some damage to her opponent. So far, nothing.

"Kuso!" Lacy shouted out loud over the wind. "This sucks!!"

Kakkou laughed. "Kyukukukuku! You're all talk, aren't you little girl? Where did all your vigor go now? Baka!!"

He swooped down over her repeatedly, knowing that the closer he got to her, the stronger his wind-propelled machine became against her water attacks.

Lacy cover her head and ducked as Kakkou swooped over her. "Kuso! How the hell am I suppose to attack him when he's buzzing around like an annoying--!" She stopped herself. _That's it!_

She stood back up and waited for him to fly back down towards her again.

"Kyukukukuku!! No matter how hard you try, you will never defeat me and my wind!!" At the last second, Lacy ducked under his machine, but quickly used a powerful water geyser before he completely passed her. The water geyser was fast and strong, clipping one of his wings. "Nani?!" The machine spun in rapid circles, forcing the man to hold onto dear life. It was no use, the plane was unable to sustain flight and just before it hit the grown, Kakkou launched a parachute from his pack and was floating safely back to Earth.

Lacy happily stuck her tongue out at him. "What were you saying a second ago? I could never defeat you and your wind? Ba~ka!"

"Kisama! You'll pay for that!" As soon as his feet touched the ground, he threw his hand up and threw Lacy back in an instant.

She rolled on the ground for a moment before hurrying back up to face him. "Na-nani?! You ate the Kaze Kaze no Mi too?!"

"Kyukukukuku! Did you honestly think nii-chan and I depended on our planes alone? Fool! Onii-sama shared a piece of the Kaze Kaze no Mi with me and my brother and lend us some of his power to aid him!"

He shot another  gust of wind at her, but this time she was ready and crossed her arms in front of her face as she stood her ground. "I am _really_ starting to wind with each second of this fight!" She grumbled. She glanced over to see how Robin was doing and it seemed she was having a bit of trouble herself with Gachou. They were both on the ground and she guessed Robin was able to take out his plane a little easier than she was able to. _Dammit... at this rate I won't be able to use my power or my own physical strength to beat him if he'll just keep blowing everything away! It's now or never!_

When Kakkou paused in between his attacks, Lacy threw her arms over her head and concentrated hard at the sky.

Kakkou raised an amusing eyebrow. "Oh~? What are you trying to do now, girl? You got lucky the last time, but do you really think there is anything you can do to defeat me?"

_I've been saving this technique for the right moment, _she thought._ Let's hope my countless hours of practice have finally paid off!_ She yelled into the air, trying to summon as much water as possible from her own strength and from the water in the atmosphere. A ball of water swirl above her hands and with each second of concentration more and more water was being absorbed and created for the ball. When it reached an enormous size to Lacy's satisfaction, she widened her stance.

"Water Summoning: _Suiryoujin!!_"

The water stretched like a snake and weaved around the sky. It slowly took form, sprouting legs and arms and a head of a dragon. Water flowed like a rushing river, making the dragon look more ferocious and dangerous. Kakkou only laughed and created a giant gust of wind at the dragon. When the wind hit it, nothing happened. The dragon was still floating in the sky as if it was untouched.

"Chikuso!" He created a large tornado, using a large sum of his strength to overpower the dragon. Unfortunately the dragon was unable to stand still against it. "Take that! so much for your trump card, girl!" But Lacy wasn't worried and when he saw her facial expression, he began to worry. He looked up at the dragon and saw it spinning around with the tornado. "Nani?!"

The dragon spun faster, overlapping the tornado's speed and soon engulfed the wind into itself, forcing the water to flow at a frightening pace. Once the tornado was fully absorbed by the dragon, it grew bigger and more powerful than before.

Kakkou began to sweat with fear as he took several steps back. "W-what... what is that thing?"

Lacy smiled. "_Suiryoujin_. A technique I've been working on for a long time now. To tell you the truth, I didn't think it'd work this nicely."

"Nani?! You did this without even knowing if it'd be successful?!"

She shrugged. "Not completely, but I knew it had the ability to absorb your wind. I just thought it would take longer to summon is all~."

The dragon, who was being controlled by Lacy, weaved towards the man and roared. Kakkou shot more and more tornados and gusts at the dragon, but each time it was absorbed. The water was flowing so fast in the dragon now it looked as if the dragon had spikes for scales. The dragon opened it jaws at the man and grabbed him in an instant.

"Waaaaaaaah!!!" Kakkou screamed for his life, doing everything possible to free himself from the monster's grip. The dragon flew in a circle, coiling itself around the frightened man. "Ya-yamerou!!"

Lacy, with her arm extended toward the dragon, clenched her fist and made the dragon spin like a giant floating whirlpool. It trapped the man inside as it quickly made him spin closer towards the eye of the whirlpool until he vanished from sight. After several moments, she opened her fist. The water stopped and crashed down onto the Earth like a tsunami. She could hear Robin cries as the water raced towards her and her opponent. She acted quickly and forced the water to fall around her as if an invisible barrier protected her. Thankful, Robin waved at Lacy for the help. hen the water dispersed, there was nothing left but a wet field and two men lying in the middle of it.

Robin walked over to her stumbling nakama and clapped her hands. "Sugoi na, Miss Artist. I didn't know you were capable to create such a tremendous thing. Are you alright?"

Lacy giggled, feeling a little high on her mountain. "Thanks, Robin! I've been practicing to make this. I'm ok for now, but this is going to have to be some sort of a trump card."

"Why?"

"Because not only does it take a lot of concentration, but it almost completely drains me of my strength and energy." She wobbled a bit. "Like I said I'm fine, but my arms and legs feel a little rubbery. Eh heh--"

_FWOOOSH!!_

Robins eyes went wide as she watched Lacy get pushed back by a powerful gust of wind. It shot at her like a bullet and nailed her in the stomach.

"MISS ARTIST!!!" Robin ran over to her and picked her up. "Miss Artist?! Miss Artist, are you alright?! Miss Artist?!"

Lacy keeled over on her knees and held onto her stomach. Her eyes were wide and teary and she wheezed for air. She did her best to catch back her breath, but it was difficult while she tried to focus her vision as she shook.

Robin held onto her, trying to help reduce her shaking. "Breathe in nice and slow, Miss Artist! Breathe slow and easy!" she looked in the direction the wind was shot from. Jiten was still sitting on the boulder, but his finger was extended towards them. "A... anata!!"

Laughter filled the air as Jiten clapped his hands. "Bravo, ladies! This was truly the kind of entertainment I have been waiting for!!" He flew down next to his men and noticed they were still breathing. He sighed. "I'm a little disappointed. After all that you didn't even kill them. Seems like your pirates with a soft spot... Pity..."

Lacy started to make little sobbing noises. "Ro... Robin... I-I.... I..." She released a painful screamed then slumped against her nakama.

Robin looked down at her and found she had passed out. Her eyes went even winder when she found out why Lacy cried out. she looked at Jiten and screamed at the man with fury. "KISAMAA!!! _SIES FLEUR CRUNCH!!_"

Catching him off guard, Jiten's back was snapped back by her extended arms that were holding onto him and he fell back unconscious. She held back onto Lacy, cradling her in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Miss Artist." She began to cry. "I'm so sorry...

---

Robin slowly walked back towards the Going Merry with Lacy being carried on a raft made out of her arms that were being moved by her feet. She had taken off Lacy's shirt and placed it over her stomach like a blanket while she still wore her black long-sleeve shirt still. When she was approaching the town, her named was being called out by her nakama. Zoro, Chopper, and Usopp caught up to her with worried expressions.

Chopper noticed cuts on her body. "Daijoubu, Robin?!" She just knelt her head.

"N-naa.... doushita, Robin?" Usopp asked her. "Why the glum look?" She glanced over her shoulder, revealing Lacy's body following behind her. "Lacy!" Usopp said with joy.

"You found her!" Chopper cheered as well.

Zoro raised a confused eyebrow. "What happened to Lacy?" He asked, barely seeing any scratches on her.

Robin closed her eyes. "She's... very sick right now."

"Sick? what do you mean?"

"There's blood on her shirt!" Chopper noticed as he observed Lacy's shirt covering her stomach. He lifted it up and froze. Everyone did as they saw blood forming around her lower stomach and trailing along down her legs.

Usopp shook. "W-what... what happened?"

Robin bit her lower lip, trying to hold back the tears. "I'm so sorry... but... she..."

"She what?" Zoro began to grow impatient. "What happened?!"

She looked up at Zoro with wet eyes. "She had a miscarriage."

Zoro's heart froze, his mind went into denial, and his skin grew strangely cold. "She.... what?"

Chopper and Usopp started to cry as well. "She had a miscarriage?" Usopp sniffled. "H-how?"

"Let's get her back to the ship first." Chopper ordered. "I need to clean her up and treat her fast. Robin can explain when we get back."

---

After spending a couple hours treating Lacy and Robin's wounds, Chopper returned to the kitchen where everyone except Lacy sat waiting to hear Robin's story. While Lacy slept back in Chopper's medical room, Robin explained how they met Devil Fruit users of the wind and how Lacy fought using an amazing water dragon technique. She tried to sound proud for Lacy success to the gang, but she couldn't help but want to cry again when she explained how Jiten applied a gust of pressure to Lacy's stomach, causing her to miscarriage. when her story was done, the room fell silent. some of the crew just looked down at the floor speechless while some of the others wept for their friend.

"So what does this mean...?" Usopp asked the group.

"Baka!" Nami shouted angrily at him while crying. "This means that baby died! Lacy and Zoro's child is gone now no thanks to that bastard!"

Sanji punched his fist against the wall. "Kuso! That bastard is going to pay for this!!"

"Everyone calm down." Robin said, almost in a whisper. Everyone's attention went backto her. "What Jiten did was unforgivable, but now we have to think about Lacy's suffering and," she looked up at Zoro, "and yours."

Zoro was leaning against the wall and his arms across his chest with his hands balled into shaking fists. "Ah... Lacy needs out support now. You already dealt with that asshole already, so we might as well look after her." He walked out the door and headed towards his and Lacy's room. 

Everyone looked at each other, surprised at his reaction. They knew he was pissed before, but they were shocked to see him acting so calmly...

After all of this they couldn't help but wonder, how was Lacy taking this...?


	21. Ch20: Starting Over

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE ]] **_Well... this just sucked for Lacy and Zoro, huh? How in the world are they going to cope with all this dramatic experience? Let's find out.

---

**CHAPTER 20:** **Starting Over**

---

It had been a couple days after the crew left Root island and within that entire time Lacy slept in her room, exhausted from everything that had happened. Chopper made sure she was getting all the right care without anyone, including Zoro, interfering.

"How is she?" Zoro asked Chopper as he waited outside of her room.

The little deer closed the door behind him and smiled. "She's doing a lot better now. You can go in if you like. She's awake."

He nodded and entered the room, shutting the door behind him. He saw Lacy laying on the bed, frowning at him. "How... are you feeling."

She closed her eyes. "I'm so tired. I want to nap, but I'm too worried to nap right now."

"Why?" He saw tears beginning to swell in her eyes. "Don't start, Lacy. It's not your fault."

"I-it's not that..."

"Yes it is. You're worried about what happened back on the island. The bastard got what he deserved for that."

"I know, but I was so looking forward to having a child with you. A little piece of you died inside of me. It's a terrible feeling."

He sat on the bed beside her. "You know, maybe this is a sign." He noticed she gave him a wide frightening look. He was afraid of the next words coming out of his mouth. "Maybe we're not ready to have a baby yet. Maybe it's a little too dangerous for one right now." He froze, waiting for her to yell at him or bawl. But something most unexpected happened.

She let out a shaky sigh. "Y-you're probably right."

"EH?!" He said, shocked at her sudden calmness. "You d-do?"

"I'll admit it was very painful at first about the whole experience, but the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that there's still so much to do before we face the responsibilities of parenthood."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I want to become stronger for the baby. I want to be strong enough to protect my child when the time comes. But even before that, I want to enjoy being young and myself before I feel too old otherwise."

"Lacy..."

"I'm fine now. I've made my peace. Like I said it was hard at first, but I want to be free for now. But some time in the near future, I would very much like to have your child." She gave him a reassuring smile.

He kissed her forehead, wiping her tears with his thumbs and made a spot for himself as he laid next to her. "You're taking this better than I thought. I was so worried about you."

"I know, I'm so sorry..."

He chuckled. "Baka. Don't apologize. It's not your fault. But I am glad you're better and that you thought about this as much as me."

"You have? Really?"

"Yeah. It's strange, I was more worried about you more than the baby. Does that make me a horrible person?"

She rubbed his cheek. "No... It's depressing, but we can have another baby with extra caution next time. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan. We'll wait until you're ready. In the meantime, I will do everything in my power to become the strongest man in the world for you. I want to be unstoppable when it comes to protecting my family."

She kissed him and cuddled up next to him. "I'd like that. But you know, you're already the strongest man in the world."

"Heh. Says you."

"You doubt me?"

He smiled. "Never."

---

It was a bit of a bumpy road at first, but they got through the tough times together with their heads held high. The crew did everything in their power to comfort them until it was all behind them. The crew was surprised at Lacy fast recovery, but Nami and Robin still worried about her mentally from the experience. The miscarriage left a scar on Lacy's mind for sure, but with the crew's support and Zoro's loving strength, she knew she was going to be alright. After all, they had their whole lives ahead of them to have another baby and they agreed now was not the right time. They were all wanted pirates so danger was all around them. Starting over wasn't such a bad idea for the time being.


	22. Ch21: A Typical Swordsman's Birthday

_**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE]]**_ Well, now that some of the drama has passed, the crew sails off to yet another mini adventure. and this time... it's Zoro's birthday!

---

**CHAPTER 21: A Typical Swordsman's Birthday**

---

Winter was here and Christmas was approaching fast. But there was a special day coming up before Christmas... Zoro's birthday.

Lacy was excited that it was finally her turn to be the romantic one and treat Zoro like a king. His birthday was in 1 day, and she was still trying to plan out what to do that entire day.

"Nami?"

"Hm?" Nami was sitting at the desk across from her bed; which Lacy was sitting on with a pad of paper and pencil in hand.

"What's Zoro's favorite food?"

Nami stopped sketching her map. "What? You're his lover. You should know."

"I know! But... he likes a lot of things. He's never told me what his absolute favorite food was. I know he likes grog."

Nami laughed. "Yup! Grog is pretty much all he'll care for."

"But what about food?"

"Why are you stressing so much?"

"It's his birthday tomorrow! Remember?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that."

Lacy mumbled. "Some friend you are..."

Nami chuckled. "Look, there's a lot of things going on right now, so his birthday his the least of my worries."

"How could you say that?! He's your nakama!"

"And you're his lover." Lacy stared at her. "You're here to make his day special. So he really has no need for anyone else to be around."

"...Well, I'm sure he'd want his friends there to help celebrate..."

"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows. He's troublesome like that."

Nami went back to sketching her map while Lacy sat on the bed, pondering on what to do still. _I know I'm his lover, but he has friends to celebrate with as well. Maybe we can all do something during the day together, then it can just be me and Zoro... But what?! What's something we can all enjoy without fighting?_

"NAMI-SWA~!! LACY-CHWA~!! Lunch is ready for you~!!"

They walked upstairs into the kitchen where they found everyone eating happily. Everyone that is, except Zoro.

"Where's Zoro?" Lacy asked.

"That stupid marimo head is sleeping and said he wasn't hungry.

"Oh... hey!" Lacy rushed to sit down. "I need some ideas from everyone! Now, you all know it's Zoro's birthday tomorrow, right?"

Sanji spat. "Peh! Don't remind me..."

"Well, I want us all to do something together with him during the day~!"

"Like what?" Luffy asked, stuffing his face.

"That's the thing. I need ideas."

"Let's sing~!" Luffy suggested, humming a melody aloud.

She shook her head. "I thought of that too, like karaoke. But he doesn't like to sing."

"What about a competition?" Suggested Robin.

"A competition?" Repeated Lacy.

"Well, he always like to compete and he's always training."

"True... but personally, I wouldn't want to work on my birthday. See what I'm saying?"

"True."

"Oh, Sanji! What is Zoro's favorite meal?"

"Saa naa. He eats anything I put on the table." Lacy gave him a disappointed look. "Well, I _do _know he really likes lemon pies. Basically any dessert with lemon in it."

"Really?! Thanks!" Lacy took out her pad of paper and pencil and started writing down notes. "Anything else?"

No one said anything. It seems as though figuring out what to do together with Zoro was their greatest challenge ever.

"How about you ask him yourself on what he wants to do tomorrow?" Suggested Chopper.

"Good idea. I'll ask him when he wakes up."

That night after dinner, Zoro received a message from Usopp about meeting Lacy in her room at a certain time. He knocked on her door and walk in as soon as he heard her respond. He found her in her warm pajamas sitting on the bed.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah. Come here." She patted the mattress next to her so they could be close. He did as she asked and waited for her to speak again. "So, tomorrow's a big day, huh?"

"Tomorrow?"

Lacy raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't have possibly forgotten your own birthday, could you?"

"Oh, that." He leaned back to rest on the bed. "I guess it's a big day."

She leaned over him. "Well, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know... go out to eat, watch a movie, have a party... whatever! What do you feel like doing on your birthday?"

Zoro closed his eyes. "Nothing."

"Nothing?!"

"Yeah. Nothing. I don't do anything special on my birthday, so there's really no point in planning anything."

"You mean you just act like it's just another day in the year?!"

"Yup." She laid down next to him on her stomach, staring at his face in shock. He opened one eye to look at her. "What?"

"How sad! We definitely have to do something for you tomorrow!"

He rolled over on his side. "Don't bother. No one will do anything."

"Well, I'll _force _them to do something with you! It's your birthday for God's sake!" She got on top of him and he let out an uncomfortable grunt. She had her face so close to his that their noses were almost touching.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're determined, aren't you?"

"Hey, you did something special for me on my birthday! I want to do the same for you!"

"Thanks. But trust me, all I want to do is sleep, drink grog, and train."

"But you do that everyday!"

"And I like it."

She bopped him on the forehead. "I'm going to plan something and you _will _like it, got it?!"

Zoro stared at her nervously, afraid of her stern voice. "O-ok."

She smiled. "Good~!" She kissed him on the nose as she was getting off of him. "Now, it's late. You should get to bed. Tomorrow's a big day!"

Zoro sat up and had a gloomy expression on his face. "Yeah... big day."

----------------------------------------

It was a wonderful warm morning. It was getting to be that time of year where it was only cold at nights. But it was a beautiful day for Zoro's birthday, Lacy thought.

"Happy birthday~!"

Zoro opened up one eye from his hammock and saw Lacy's face upside down over his face. "Um... thanks."

She kissed his forehead and backed away so he could get up. "It's a wonderful morning!"

He yawned. "Yeah, great... What time is it?"

"It's a quarter after 11. I was nice enough to let you sleep in, cause after all, you said you wanted to sleep on your birthday."

"Yeah." He stared at her closely as she smiled back at him. "Ok. Spill. What are you up to?"

"Nothing! Why are you so serious?"

"I _know _you have something up your sleeve."

She laughed. "Well, I _do _have a little something planned for us today."

"And?"

She smirked. "You'll have to wait and see~!"

They went upstairs where everyone greeted them and wished Zoro a happy birthday. Zoro was about to pick up a rice ball from the plate in the center of the table, when Lacy tapped it out of his hand.

"Ah ah! Not yet."

He let out a disappointed grunt. "Why not?"

Lacy grabbed Zoro by the hand and led him and everyone outside where they saw 3 huge dolphins waiting for them at the end of the ship.

"Ah~! Kawaii~!!" Nami said slapping her hands together.

"What's with the fish?" Asked Usopp.

"Are they for us to eat?!" Luffy said jumping up and down.

"They're dolphins." Lacy explained. "And they're going to put on a show during lunch~! Sanji?"

"HAI~!! LACY-CHWA~!!" Sanji ran into the kitchen and quickly came out with a couple of huge picnic baskets.

"Robin?"

Robin smiled and nodded as she whipped out a big checkered blanket and spread it on the ground; her multiple hands helping her at all four corners.

"Chopper?"

"Aye aye~!" Chopper trotted over towards the dolphins and started whispering something to them.

"What's going on?" Zoro asked.

"It's a picnic~!" Lacy responded.

"Isn't this sweet of Lacy-chan~? It was all her idea~!" Swooned Sanji, setting out sandwiches and drinks.

"But not just any picnic." Lacy explained. "It's lunch and a show~!"

"A show?" Zoro repeated.

She smiled widely at him and nodded. "Hit it Chopper!"

Chopper lifted up his hoof and yelled out "GO!!" to the 3 dolphins. They jumped into the air and started performing tricks. Everyone sat down and ate in awe, clapping for their tricks and spins. Lacy sat next to Zoro and glanced over at him. She noticed his interested expression. She giggled to herself and lifted up her arms in a conducting motion.

She yelled out to the dolphins. "Here we go~!"

Three enormous water geysers sprung up in front of the ship, startling everyone. The dolphins started doing flips and tricks while trailing up the water. Every once in a while, other geysers would spring up and form shapes and pictures. Sometimes they formed rings that the dolphins would jump through from geyser to geyser. Everyone cheered and clapped at the show.

"So... what do you think?" Lacy shyly asked Zoro, never losing her focus on the water.

He turned and smiled, wrapping his arm around her. "This is a great show. Thank you."

"Really?"

He nodded. "No one's ever put on a show for me. How did you come up with this overnight?"

"I asked Chopper to help me talk to the dolphins. I was actually trying to find any sea creature to help; luckily these 3 guys gladly volunteered for me~! Then I asked Sanji to make a picnic basket before I went to bed."

"You did a lot last night, huh?"

She smiled. "Yup! I couldn't just let this be another day for you. It's your birthday after all~! You should spend it with your friends~!"

Zoro leaned over and kissed her on the lips, catching her off guard. They heard some yelps from some of the viewers and Lacy noticed some of the geysers dropped and the dolphins were falling.

"O-oops!!" She concentrated on making a 3-ring geyser to shoot the dolphins up into the air as if their falling was suppose to happen. "Heh heh. Sorry."

After the picnic and show, Lacy thanked everyone for their help and gave the dolphins a few fish as a token of her appreciation. They flipped backwards for her as their way of saying thank you and swam off. They all played games after wards with Luffy as the main star with his rubbery tricks. Everyone laughed, clapped and had a wonderful time. Lacy was happy that Zoro was enjoying himself. She would watch him laugh at Luffy's stupidity and drink grog happily. She felt so warm and wonderful inside at the sight of his happiness. _Now he'll have a memorable birthday and not think of it as "just another day," _she thought.

Soon it got dark and everyone packed up and went inside for dinner. The dinner wasn't anything too special; Sanji just used different spices and sauces for his meals since Lacy asked him to for Zoro's birthday (otherwise he couldn't care less what day it was for Zoro).Lacy left early from the table saying she had to get "something together." As soon as everyone was done eating, they all went to bed from an exhausting day. Zoro was in charge of cleaning up the kitchen that night. And so with a grunt, he washed everything. By the time he was done, the Going Merry was incredibly silent.

---------------------------------------------

Zoro walked downstairs towards Lacy's room. He knock on her door. "Lacy?" No answer. He knocked again. Nothing. "Are you in here, Lacy?"

He opened up the door and began to walk inside, but stopped short in the doorway. He found Lacy standing in front of a candle lit table in a light grey spaghetti-strap dress with navy blue trimming that cut off above her knees. On the front of the dress written across her chest, were the words "To: Zoro." She blushed with her hands folded in front of her while holding a shiny green box and a silver bow tied around her neck like a choker.

"H-hey." She said shyly.

Zoro closed the door behind him and kept staring at her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her and his body grew strangely hot. _Dear God..._

She held out her hands as if to embrace him. "Surprise! I made dessert for us. It's lemon cakes."

Zoro walked towards her slowly. "You... did all of this?"

She blushed. "Yeah. I even made the dress. Well, I bought the grey dress then made the trimming and the words on it. You like it?" Zoro just nodded in awe. "Sanji told me you like lemon desserts. So I got a lemon cake recipe from him and made these earlier this morning while you were sleeping. There's even a candle in yours! Since it's you birthday, of course~! And um... oh yeah!" She held out the box in her hands. "For you~!"

Zoro took the box out of her hands and unwrapped it. It revealed a white box inside and he lifted up the lid. Inside was a black bandana with green shines; exactly like his on his arm. But this one was different. On one corner, he noticed 2 chibi heads sewn into the fabric. It was of him and Lacy smiling with a little heart above them.

"Lacy... wow..." He kept staring at it, observing the seamanship.

"I'm sorry it's not much. I'm always broke, so I decided to make something. I'm really good at art crafts and found some clothe similar to your bandana. So I took that and some thread to make the chibies. But man! Did _that _take forever! To get all the details and make it look good, that is. So if you don't like it, tell me because I won't get my feelings hurt. I'll just wait until I can grab some more money and next time we go into town I'll–"

Zoro placed his gift on the table and quickly embraced her with a kiss. He held her tight and close, feeding her with hungry kisses. She was caught off guard by his sudden action.

Zoro worked his way down to her neck. "I love it." He said between kisses.

Lacy smiled. "I'm glad." Zoro then began to suck on her neck. "Z-Zoro! What are you–?"

"Can I unwrap _you _now?" He tugged on her bow and began to untie it.

"What about–?"

Before she could finish her sentence, he tugged on the bow which was now hanging loose around her neck and pulled her towards the bed. He had her lie on her back and he knelt down over her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a blushing smile. "Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy Birthday."

He smiled at her and rested his head on her chest, allowing her to softly stroke his hair. "Thanks. For everything, Lacy."

She giggled. "Anytime~! No one should have a dull birthday."

"You got a point. This was my first non-dull one."

"And you'll never have another dull one again."

He looked up at her. "You mean I get more birthdays like this?"

She gave him sly grin. "Maybe..."


	23. Ch22: A Woman’s World Part 1

_**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE]]**_ I think I predict what's going to happen in the manga One Piece because this story may sort of remind you of what's happening in the manga now. With the whole snake woman and woman nation and all that... i swear I wrote this about 2-3 years ago before current chapters, so I am NOT copying One Piece!! ok.... Enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 22: A Woman's World, No Place for a Man (Part 1: Disappearing)**

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Everything seemed to be going smoothly and was enjoying the wonderful sunshine. The girls were soaking themselves in the sun, Sanji was making them smoothies for the hot day, and everyone else was either napping or relaxing on deck as a light breeze cooled them down.

The next island was in sight. Nami looked at her indicator and nodded at Chopper to keep steering the ship towards the piece of land. After anchoring the Going Merry, it was time to explore the island and find locals so Nami can ask how long it is until the indicator picks up the next island.

They walked through a jungle, pushing through huge leaves and dodging branches from bent trees.

"Look! There's smoke up ahead!" Luffy pointed to a mountain not too far from where they were standing with a slim stream of smoke rose from.

"Good. We're almost there. My feet are killing me." Nami walked in the back with Lacy and Chopper, but stopped to lean against a tree for a brief moment to catch her breath.

She was rubbing her ankle, when all of a sudden a huge bush nearby grabbed her from behind. She tried yelling for help, but the bush covered her mouth. It began to mold and seemed to transform into a bog as it slowly sucked her inside; and disappeared.

Lacy stopped and looked back at where Nami was standing. "Hm? Nami?" She walked back a few steps and paused to look around for her missing friend. "Guys!" She called back, "Hey, wait up! Nami's gone–"

Just then, a tree standing next to her grabbed her and molded just like the bush. A branch wrapped around her mouth so she couldn't cry out. Other branches held her wrists and legs and began to slowly sink her into the tall trunk, and like Nami, disappeared without a trace.

Chopper looked behind and found two of his crew mates missing. "Wha?! Minna! Where's Nami and Lacy?"

Everyone stopped and turned around. They walked back a ways and called out their names; but no response.

"NOOOOOOOOO!! NAMI-SWA~! LACY-CHWA~! WHERE ARE YOU, MY BEAUTIES?!"

"Where did they go? Weren't you with them, Chopper?" Asked Zoro.

"They were here just a second ago. I heard Nami complaining about her ankles hurting, but that's all. Before I knew it, they disappeared."

"Maybe they found a shortcut!" Suggested Luffy.

"Perhaps. Well, they know about the smoke. Let's keep going and maybe they'll meet us there." Usopp said.

"You're probably right..." Replied Chopper.

As everyone kept walking towards the smoke, Zoro paused a bit to look back. _It's not like Lacy to wonder off without saying anything. Something's not right..._

Robin went on ahead of everyone when they looked for Nami and Lacy. She came to a fork in the trail, and looked down both of them to see which course would be better for them. She calculated a path that would work and rested on a nearby rock to wait for the others to catch up. But the rock shuffled underneath, and began to stretch. Robin looked down and was shocked at the rock coming to life. Like the first 2 times, the rock molded and grabbed Robin and carried her into itself and vanished.

When the gang caught up to the fork, they glanced down both trails in search of Robin.

"NOOOOO~!! ROBIN-CHWA~!! NOT YOU TOO!!"

"Now Robin?" Pondered Usopp aloud.

"What do you think is going on?" Asked Zoro.

"Do you think it's all coincidence, or you think there's something going on here?" Sanji replied, calming down.

"Y-y-y-y-you don't think there's any m-m-m-m-monsters on this island, d-d-do you?" Shook Usopp. Luffy huffed with a straight face and walked down one of the trails. "O-oi, Luffy! Where do you think you're going?"

"Going to look for my nakama."

They all looked at each other and decided to split up down the trails to search for the girls. Down the left trail was Sanji and Chopper, while the right trail walked Luffy, Zoro ,and Usopp.

--------------------------------------------------

Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp walked for about 20 minutes before coming across a strange abandoned temple. They hesitated and walked inside. Luffy ran ahead in excitement and wonder because of the temple and because the girls might be inside waiting for them. To everyone's surprise, Nami and Robin were inside on a large flat pillar at the end of the temple.

"Ah? Ooooo! Nami! Robin! We found you!" Celebrated Luffy.

Zoro narrowed his gaze at the 2 girls. Nami and Robin just smiled and never moved. Nami was sitting on the large platform with her head down. Robin stood by her with one hand on a pillar. Her head was slightly turned away from the guys and her other hand resting on her hip. And they began to chuckle.

"Oi, what are you two standing around for? Let's go get the others!" Explained Usopp.

Zoro stepped forward. "Where's Lacy?"

--------------------------------------------------

"NAMI-SWA~!! LACY-CHWA~!! ROBIN-CHWA~!! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING?!"

Sanji and Chopper walked for a long time, screaming out the girls names. While Sanji was in the middle of yelling, Chopper's nosed perked and he sniffed the air.

"Eh? That's Lacy's vanilla perfume." Noted Chopper.

"WHA?! You found them?!"

"I think so. I can smell Lacy not too far up ahead."

They both ran towards the scent, with Chopper leading the way. They came across an open field with a large boulder in the middle; with Lacy sitting on it.

"LACY-CHWA~!!"

"We're so glad that we found you!"

She didn't move. Her head was slightly down with a wide smile across her face.

"What's the matter? Where you scared being alone, Lacy-chan? Don't worry, your Sanji's here now to protect you!"

She started to chuckle.

--------------------------------------------------

"What's going on?! Where's Lacy?!" Zoro shouted at the 2 girls. Their chuckles grew louder, and they were soon laughing.

"Are you guys ok?" Luffy asked. They only laughed.

"You guys are acting strange. Did you catch the jungle flu or something?" Asked Usopp. He took a step forward. Nami and Robin's faces perked up and they ran towards them. They were still laughing, but their smiles grew into and evil grin and their eyes were sinister. "WAAAAAAAAAH!!! M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-matte!!" Usopp dodged Nami's weather pole as she tried to swing it at his head.

While Nami was fighting Usopp, Robin was idling with both Luffy and Zoro. "6 Flowers!" They were held down by their wrists and ankles and a pair of hands gripping their necks.

"ARE?! What's the deal?!" Asked Luffy, trying to scurry out of Robin's grip.

"What the hell are you girls doing? This is no time to joke around!" Yelled Zoro. They both laughed. Nami put Usopp in a choke hold and glanced over at Zoro. He stared back, his eyes dark and upset. "Answer me now!!"

--------------------------------------------------

"Oi... Doushita, Lacy-chan?" Sanji walked up to Lacy and placed his hand on her shoulder. She slapped his hand away hard and kicked at him. "Na-nani?!"

He managed to dodge her kick, but she quickly recovered and kicked hard at his knees. Sanji skidded across the grass and fell on his side. _What was that?!_ She began to laugh out loud now.

"What's the matter, Lacy? Why are you attacking Sanji?!" Lacy turned around and quickly punched Chopper in the face. His little blue nose bled, and he stumbled a bit to get back up.

"Something's wrong. Lacy-chan! Are you alright? Why are you trying to hurt us?"

Lacy ran at him, and with little force, tried to upper-jaw him. He was able to block with his leg and grabbed onto her arms tightly. _What's going on? She's barely hitting us and yet with incredible strength! Where's this force coming from?_ "Gomen ne for being a little hard on you Lacy-chan, but you're going to calm down and tell us what's going on." She laughed again and turned her body into water and slipped behind him. Chopper grabbed her and picked her up with his arms wrapped tight around her. He was in his human form. He had a hard time keeping her still, but then he realized she was only toying with them. She snickered and brought her leg up high and kicked Chopper in the neck, causing him to release her. She stood opposite of the boys now, staring each other down.

"Sanji, what's wrong with her?"

"Saa na. But whatever it is, I've got a feeling we're in for a surprise."

"I don't want to fight her."

"Neither do I. It's ungentlemanly to attack or even touch a woman with force. So we're going to have to be on the defensive side for now."

Lacy raised her hands and created a whirlpool, trapping Sanji and Chopper inside, laughing.

--------------------------------------------------

Zoro and Luffy managed to break free from Robin's grip. They fought with their fists, trying to snap Robin out of whatever trance she was in. As for Usopp, he managed to stall Nami every once in a while with smoke and pepper bombs. Nami seemed very little affected by his powdered bullets, and waited for him to tire himself out.

"What are we going to do, guys?" Usopp asked, trapping Nami in yet another smoke bomb, but this time Robin was within the smoke as well.

"I don't know. They're scary!" Responded Luffy.

Zoro stood his ground and waited for the smoke to clear. But as he waited, he wondered what was going on. He didn't have a clue what they were doing. They seemed hypnotized or under some kind of spell. He had noticed their eyes were different. They seemed blank, like they weren't all there. But he knew he couldn't hurt them. Then again, he was Roronoa Zoro. He'll knock them out if he has to, to get them to calm down.

The smoke finally cleared. Nami and Robin were standing next to each, laughing. Nami had her pole ready for action while Robin held out her arm to the men, ready to use her ability. They ran once more towards them. The guys held up their guard for anything that'll come their way. But the girls suddenly stopped. Their laughter had also stopped, and they looked like something was bothering them. At the same time, they nodded and jumped up onto the platform, and disappeared.

"What... was _that_ all about...?" Usopp pondered.

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Sanji and Chopper were gasping for air, their heads trying to surface while their bodies were trapped in a huge floating water sphere. Lacy was laughing at them as she made the water ball grow to cover their heads. But once their heads were finally underwater, she paused. Her smile vanished, and she dropped the water ball, causing it to pop. While Sanji and Chopper were choking, Lacy quickly jumped into the air and disappeared.

"CHOTTO, LACY-CHAN!!"

Chopper turned back into his normal small size. "Sanji... should we try to find her again?" He coughed.

"No. I think we should find the others and figure out what's wrong here." They stood up and ran towards the smoke as fast as they could.

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Luffy and the others reached the place where the smoke was coming from. It came from a small village, filled with workers making weapons and tools. Some were even making armor and small forts.

"Oi, omae da!" Usopp called to them. "Has anyone seen 3 girls pass through here? One has orange hair, one is tall with dark skin, and the other's blonde with blue tips?"

The men looked up. They just stared at them for a moment as if they were idiots; then went back to work.

"Not a very friendly town, is it?"

"Nah? Sanji! Chopper!" Luffy waved in front of them.

"Minna!" Cheered Chopper. "You guys finally made it!"

"You guys are slow. We've been waiting for an hour." Sanji sighed.

"We were delayed, idiot." Zoro grumbled.

"Tee mee... Who are you calling me an idiot, marimo head?

"Shut up you stupid curly brow!"

"Will you keep it down! You're giving us all a headache!" A tall man with black hair and a rope tied around his head yelled at them and returned to finish a spear he was making.

"So did you find anyone?" Asked Luffy.

"Ah... but it wasn't a happy reunion." Replied Sanji.

"You had some trouble too?" Usopp asked, surprised.

"Lacy tried to hurt us!" Shouted Chopper.

Zoro jumped. "What did you just say?!"

"Lacy-chan was acting weird. She started attacking us then trying to drown us."

"Same thing with Robin and Nami! They tried to snap and burn us!" Cried Usopp.

"AAAH! What's going on here!" Luffy held his head and slumped to the floor whining.

"Wait a minute... have you guys... noticed anything different about this village?" Zoro asked, scanning the town.

"Well, for one thing... THERE'S NO PRETTY GIRLS HERE!!" Sanji cried.

"There's no girls _at all_ here!" Chopper pointed out.

"You 5 need to either quiet down or get lost!" The same man who yelled at them before walked over to them.

"Where are all your women, Oo-san?" Luffy asked, jumping up from the floor directly in front of the man. The man was caught off guard from Luffy's fast pop, but recovered quickly.

"There are none. Now if you excuse us, we need to get back to work. Double time."

"NO WOMEN?! HOW DO YOU GUYS LIVE?!" Sanji cried again.

"OI...!" Zoro snapped.

The man started to turn around, until Luffy grabbed his arm. "We're not leaving until we find our nakama!"

The man turned to look back at the Straw-Hatted man, and sighed. "Fine. Do what you want, but it's not going to be easy. Since you're looking for your female companions, you'll be risking your lives to find them."

"You mean you know what's going on?" Asked Zoro.

The man bowed his head and paused. "Aah. Come with me."

He walked them to a tall wooden house. It was filled with spears and swords and metal scraps everywhere. He grabbed a cup and poured some water into it, then sat down at the table. Luffy and the others gathered in front of him and waited for him to speak.

"So, you guys lost a few girls, eh?"

"3 to be exact." Luffy held out 3 fingers to show the man.

"We actually did find them again, but they attacked us." Explained Usopp.

The man snickered. "Heh. Well then, that explains a lot right there."

"Explains what?" Zoro asked, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

The man took a sip from his cup. "It explains that they've already been chosen for a women army."

"Women army?" Repeated Sanji.

"Ah. It first happened about 6 months ago. It was like any other normal day in our village. Our women would be running around cooking, cleaning, shopping, and whatever else, until a stranger collapsed by the river where some of our women were. The stranger was a women wearing strange clothes, like a dancer or something. We nursed her back to health, checking every once in a while for any injuries or sicknesses. That next night, the woman recovered. She said her name was Sukuna and she was ship wrecked and stranded on our island. So we took her in and cared for her. Even some of our men tried to make a small vessel for the lady. It was strange though... we never really saw much of her during the day. But one night, while the women were down by the stream collecting water for the village, Sukuna made all the men some soup as her way of thanking us. Of course, we gladly accepted the meal and ate it. But what we didn't know is that it had poison in it.

"Poison?" Luffy repeated.

The man nodded. "It was strange... since there's not enough poisonous plants on the island to even bring us to our knees. But this poison was potent and powerful. We thought we were dead for sure, but thankfully a girl stayed behind to tend to the kitchen and saw us hacking for our lives. He gave us small doses of antidote right away, recovering us enough to get back on our feet. We saw Sukuna standing in front of us, laughing. Her eyes glowed yellow and she put a some kind of spell on the girl and all the other women when they returned. They turned violent and rebellious. They started attacking the men and trying to kill us. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with them, until Sukuna called them back. We then knew they were under her control, and disappeared with her. Ever since then, the women attack us once a week, destroying all our weapons we worked so hard on to defend ourselves from them. They were given incredible strength and strange weapons. A couple of our men found Sukuna's hideout in an old temple about 5 miles from here. But it's so heavily guarded by the women, we can't get near it.

"So you're women are possessed?" Asked Usopp.

"Not just our women, but other women who were traveling to the island or living nearby."

"So you're saying that whatever happened to the women here happened to our partners?" Chopper asked. The man nodded.

"WOW!! A woman army, huh? Sounds like a dream come true~!!" Sanji swooned.

The man stood up and slammed his fists on the table. "A dream you think, eh?! You're an idiot if you think being attacked by the women you care for with inhuman strength and powerful weapons is a dream! We're always fearing for our lives every week! They're our loved ones! sisters, mothers, wifes, everyone! It's no walk in the park for us! We're trying everything to get them back without hurting them!!"

Everyone fell silent. No one talked for what seemed like an eternity, until Sanji broke the silence. "Sumanen..."

"Forget it. You wouldn't understand what we've been going through. But unless you can somehow figure out how to break into that temple and defeat Sukuna, you're outta luck with getting your partners back soon." Luffy stood up and started walking to the door, then stopped. "Where do you think _you're_ going, kid?"

"To find Nami and the others."

"You can't be serious?!"

"Don't worry, Oo-san! We'll take care of this." Sanji said, following behind Luffy.

"Don't you know who we are? We're the Straw-Hat pirates! The strongest pirates in the world!" Usopp said.

Zoro was sitting against the wall now, ever since the middle of the man's story. He had his eyes closed, but he wasn't sleeping. How could he sleep when Lacy was being controlled by some freaky lady? He had to do something and fast. He grabbed his swords and walked out of the house.

"You kids are crazy! You're risking your lives!"

"Don't you want us to help you?" Asked Chopper.

"That's not the point! You don't have a clue what you're up against! You're going to–"

"We're going to save them."

Everyone turned to Zoro. He was standing just outside the door in front of Luffy, with his back to the house.

"Do you honestly think we're going to give up and forget all of them? You can, but I won't. Even if it costs me my life." Zoro walked away, disappearing into the setting sun.

"He's right, you know. No way are we letting this go!" Luffy smiled wide at the man.

"Heh. I give you guys credit for bravery. What's you're name, mugiwara?"

"Ore wa Luffy. Kaizoku ni ore wa naru otoko da! HEE!"

"Kaizoku? Omae kaizoku nanda?" He smiled. "Well then mugiwara, good luck."

"Thanks Oo-san!"

"The name's Berebo. _Not_ Oo-san– Shimatta!"

"N? Doushita?" Luffy asked.

"Tonight's when the women are going to attack again!"

"Really?!" Sanji asked excitingly.

"Will you guys really help us?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-you mean they're going to a-a-attack us t-t--tonight?!" Usopp asked, shaking uncontrollably.

"That's great! That means they'll come to us!" Luffy said joyfully. "Let's go tell Zoro!" With that said, Luffy and the others went out to find Zoro and prepared for tonight.

"Heh. I admire those kids' courage."


	24. Ch23: A Woman's World Part 2

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**CHAPTER 23: A Woman's World, No Place for a Man (Part 2: Sukuna's Female Army)**

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Night fell upon them fast. All the men were in position for their weekly attack while the Straw-Hat pirates waited on the front line of the men.

"THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING!!" A man from a tower warned everyone.

"Yooooooosh! Iguso, minna!" Shouted Luffy.

They saw a small cloud dust in the distance running towards the village. They could hear the cries of the women as they began to steady themselves for action.

"Nah? There they are!" Shouted Luffy. "There's Nami!" The guys scanned the crowd where Luffy was pointing and found the orange-haired female running towards them. She was wearing different clothes. In fact, all the women were wearing exotic clothing with jewels and gold bands everywhere like they were some sort of Arabic belly dancers. They all even had matching chokers around their necks; every single one of them. Every woman seemed to be snickering as they gave off murderous vibes. Before they knew it, the women were right in front of them, already shooting flaming arrows at the wooden houses and slashing at the men.

"AH! NAMI-SAN! And look! I'M SURROUNDED BY BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!!" Sanji swooned over the hoard of females.

"Quit fooling around! Do you see anyone else?" Snapped Usopp.

"I see Robin!" Shouted Chopper, as he used his antlers to block a woman attacking him with a sword.

"Lacy? Where's Lacy? Anyone?" Zoro asked.

"No! Nowhere!" Replied Luffy. "What about you, Usopp–?"

Usopp was already occupied with 4 women chasing after him. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~!!!!"

Luffy was using his rubber body to repel the girls from him, Sanji was trying to block and seduce the women at the same time, Chopper blocked their attacks with his antlers, and Zoro drew his swords - but only using the back blade so he wouldn't cut anyone. He fought through the mob of women, desperately searching for his love. He finally spotted her. She was tearing down the men's forts with her water technique with a wide smile across her face.

"Lacy!!"

She continued blowing away the forts while turning to see who called her. She only saw a green-haired swordsman running towards her, and she shifted her water spouts to him instead. Zoro dodged her attacks as he ran at her and caught her by the hands.

"Lacy! Snap out of it!" He stared deep into her eyes. Like Nami and Robin's before, they were empty. They had the look of darkness and viciousness. _How do I help her?_

She slapped his hands away and released water from her feet, elevating her high into the air like a geyser. She was standing on the water as she created small waves from her palms to destroy the village.

"Lacy!! Stop it!!" Zoro tried cutting the water down, even though he already knew it was impossible. He did everything he could to try and get to her, but all ended in failure. It seemed now all he could do was call out her name to try to snap her out of the spell.

After 30 minutes of attacking the village, the women started to retreat. Little by little, the women started running away towards the abandoned temple. Luffy was trying to get through to Nami, but she blew a fire bubble at him, catching his butt on fire. Then ran away.

"YEEEEOOOOW!!! Wait! Nami!"

Robin soon followed behind, after breaking a few of the men's arms and legs. Then Lacy. She was one of the last few women to retreat. After returning to the ground, she ran as fast as she could away from the village. Zoro followed close behind. No way was he letting her get away. He needed to set her mind free from the cursed trance she was in.

Zoro finally caught up and grabbed her shoulders tightly and made her face him. "Lacy! Please! You've got to fight this! Answer me! Please!" She started laughing. "LACY!! Wha–?" Her body slowly started to turn into water. "NO! Stop!! Don't!" He gripped her harder, but his hands fell through the liquid. The water slithered away from him and solidified back as she ran again, leaving him in the dust.

There was no woman left in the village. "CHIKUSO!!" Zoro fell to his knees.

"How is everyone?!" Usopp asked.

"It's alright. We usually end in minor injuries. But with that new girl of theirs with the sprouting hands, there seem to be more broken limbs than usual." Replied Berebo.

"I'll help you out. I'm a doctor."

"Thank you little one."

"It's the least I can do for what Robin's done to them..."

"KUSO! KUSO!! They didn't listen!" Luffy cursed out loud.

"NAMI-SWA~!! ROBIN-CHWA~!! LACY-CHWA~!! LADIES!! COME BACK TO ME!! Eh?" Sanji noticed Zoro running in the direction of the women. "OI TEE MEE!! Where do you think you're going?!" He cried out after him.

"He's not going after them, is he?" Usopp asked.

"That idiot! He won't last 5 seconds in that temple by himself!" Berebo said.

"IGUSO!!" Called out Luffy as he began to chase Zoro.

"C-chotto, Luffy!" Sanji ran after him as well. Usopp and Chopper decided to stay behind and help Berebo and the villagers. They knew Luffy would understand.

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Luffy and Sanji caught up to Zoro as they arrived at the old temple. They could tell it was the right temple because of all the women out front guarding it. Luffy quietly took them out with his Gum Gum slingshot.

"TEE MEE!! DON'T HURT THEM!!

"Shut _up_, you perverted cook! We're trying to get in without being noticed! So just shut up!" Zoro yelled at him.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

They ran inside to find a bunch of corridors twisting throughout the temple. As they ran by the hallways, they noticed cages everywhere with women unconscious inside them. Figuring they were Sukuna's next victims, they let them be and continued their search. They finally reached the center, and found a woman sitting on a high throne talking to 5 women.

"You will prepare the potion straight away," she said, "and you will get my cloak and charms ready." The 2 women on the ends bowed and walked out the left exit.

"Hey! It's Nami and the others!" Luffy pointed out.

"And that must be Sukuna." Guessed Sanji.

The woman had long straight black hair that was combed smooth and perfect all the way down to her lower back. She had pale eyes that looked close to the color yellow to the boys. She wore pale purple and yellow exotic outfit that resembled a native priestess or Goddess from a Greek myth. She wore large square earrings with a matching necklaces and rings. On her arms were golden bands with strapped sandals to match.

The woman continued making orders. "As for you three. I have a special job for you all. I need you to–" Something caught her eye as a green-haired man jumped down and stood on the opposite end of the room, glaring at the woman on the throne.

"Are you Sukuna?"

She giggled. "Yes. And... you are?"

"The one who's going to kick your ass!" Now Luffy and Sanji were standing next to him, with Luffy in the middle.

"Give us back our nakama!!" Luffy demanded.

"Hahahahahaha!! You 3? You think you _men_ can defeat me? You're pathetic. Ladies?" Nami and the others turned around to face the guys. Their faces were straight and their eyes blank. "So you want your women back, huh?"

"Let them go!" Ordered Luffy, stomping his foot.

"You know, these 3 are my best warriors. This one," she walked by Robin, "was a bit uneasy at first to control. But she easily succumbed in no time. This one," she stood over by Nami, "was being difficult. Her mind kept refusing me and so I had to use a greater force just to calm her. But this one..." she now stood by Lacy, "was quite stubborn! She was fun to try and control since her mind was interesting, but her mind was just too... 'good' to try to resist me for long."

"I said let them go!" Commanded Luffy once again.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Especially if it's a request from _men!_ You beasts disgust me!" She bent down and wrapped her arms around Lacy. She placed one of her hands on Lacy's face and brought it closer to hers. "Isn't she beautiful? All 3 of them? They're perfect."

She used her long nail to make a cut on Lacy's cheek. Zoro twitched and took a quick step forward. "Ah~! So you must be the infamous Roronoa Zoro?" She licked the blood off of Lacy's cheek. "So _you're_ the one she likes so much. Her thoughts were nothing but you, and it's women like her that need to be free from a man's wrath!"

She went over by Nami and jerked her arm back and took out a knife from her back to Nami's throat. This time, Sanji took a step forward. "And you must be Sanji-kun, as this one calls you? Hee hee. You're a very interesting person to like someone as fiery as this one. So you in the straw-hat must be Mugiwara Luffy. The pirate who's head is worth $60,000,000 berries. This is great! I'll be famous for killing you! Even if you weren't popular, you're a male! And all males must be killed!"

Luffy raised a confused eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Hmm... you seem to have a huge grudge against guys..."

"Lacy! Oi, Lacy! C'mere! Let's go!" Zoro demanded. She didn't move.

"How dare you command her like some animal! They're under _my _control! They will no longer listen to men, but to themselves and their own kind."

"What do you mean, 'their own kind'? You mean a psychotic bitch like you?" Asked Zoro.

"SILENCE!! I will not take insults from a man!! Men think they're so inferior to us women; ordering us around and doing chores and slaving around the house. Holding us back and telling us we are the weaker of the two sexes. Pah! Never again! And this little blonde agrees with me."

"LIAR!" Cried out Zoro.

"What? You don't believe me? I guess you don't know her very well, then."

Zoro shook his fist in fury. Luffy and the others got into fighting position right away.

"You think you three can beat _me?_ The most beautiful and powerful woman in the world?"

"Beautiful, yes. But anyone who tries to control Nami-san or the others, is dead meat." Responded Sanji.

"FOOLS! You cannot beat me! I would kill you myself right now, but I'm afraid you caught me at a bad time. Ladies?" The 3 girls stepped forward. "_Kill_ these _men_!"

The girls began to slowly walk towards the guys. "This will be fun! Think about it: you'll die in the hands of these 3 fine women. Your own partners. You'll all fall at their feet like the dogs you are. Tear them apart, girls! And don't let any of them bother me!" Sukuna began to walk to the left exit. "I'd love to stay and watch you all die, but I have a previous engagement." With that she was gone.

The 3 girls began to run at them now, ready to fight. Robin attacked Luffy, while Nami went for Sanji, and Lacy dealt with Zoro. The 3 guys refused to hurt them, but if they need to defend themselves, they will without any major damage. At least, that's what Zoro thought before he had to fight his own lover.

Robin was doing everything in her power to restrain Luffy, who was bouncing off the walls and stretching so much that it was hard to capture him in her ability. Sanji was using his feet to block Nami's weather pole and dodging her lightning bolts and fireballs.

Zoro took a step back. "Oi, Lacy! Gain control! I know you have the will power to do it!"

Lacy just snickered and threw punches at him. She had incredible speed and strength, it was getting difficult to dodge her attacks. The scary part was that she was hitting him most of the time. It got to a point where Zoro needed to do something fast or he's in trouble. He started to draw out his swords until they suddenly slipped out of his hand.

"Nani?!"

Lacy used her water to slip out of his haramaki and into her hands. A couple water rings circled around the 3 swords, floating just in front of her. She laughed and threw the swords off to the side. Zoro twitched as he saw his precious swords being thrown.

"How can we stop them?" Luffy asked.

"How should I know!" Answered Sanji. "Wait a minute... their necks..."

All 3 of them glanced at the girl's necks and noticed a very big clue. _All three of them are wearing the same choker! That's what's controlling them!_

"Lacy, snap out of it! Do you know what you're doing? LACY!" Zoro knew he now had to either rip off that choker, or knock her out to turn her back. She attacked him again, this time using her water techniques. She jumped high and twist over his head and cut him from behind with her air compressed water technique. Zoro decided to use something else to restrain her. He knew that if he grabbed her she would just turn into water. So the only other way was to knock her out with his hands. He hated the thought, but it had to be done; he couldn't reach his swords for he knew she would watch them since they are part of his strength.

"Forgive me, Lacy. I have no choice."

He ran at her using most of his power, but she defended perfectly. She turned to water or jumped away from him. She was toying with him! He was getting frustrated. But just then, he saw Lacy pull out a kotachi from her thigh. She ran at him, causing him to be on the defensive. Zoro had experienced so many cuts and injuries from numerous enemies, but none of them were the one he loved; and now she was attacking him without a weapon. He knew the _real_ Lacy wouldn't attack a defenseless person; to her, that's low. He did his best to dodge, but she was too fast and cut across his chest and arms. He cringed in pain as blood dripped from his clothes. Lacy swung her hand so fast, it created a small whirlwind pattern and slashed Zoro from all sides.

She then ran around him with incredible speed; creating a whirlpool. He was trapped.

"Stop it Lacy! Get a hold of yourself–!" Before Zoro could finish his sentence, Lacy created a bubble with him trapped inside. He pounded on the bubble, but hardened and he noticed the bottom of the bubble was filling it up with water... fast!

"KUSO!" Zoro pounded and did everything in his power to break the bubble, but there wasn't enough time. The bubble filled up quickly. Zoro then took a deep breath just before the water went over his head. Lacy had the water ball float overhead, with Zoro treading inside of it.

He was inside the bubble for too long. He was losing air quickly. Finally, he couldn't hold on any longer, and his body lingered in the water. Satisfied, Lacy popped the bubble, causing Zoro to drop hard to the ground. At the same time, Sanji and Luffy dropped to the ground as well. The 3 women licked their hands and knives and walked away victorious.

Just before they went through the door where Sukuna was waiting, Luffy scrambled to his feet. Robin turned around fast and had 20 hands throw knives at him. He dodged them all as he ran quickly up to her and punched her hard in the stomach. He finally got past her.

"Gomen ne, Robin. Gomen, minna! I got to beat that girl's ass!" Luffy ran out the left exit.

"No problem. We can handle the rest." Waved Sanji, who was getting onto his feet. Nami and Robin, who recovered, attacked him.

As for Lacy, she drew out her kotachi again and ran towards Zoro. He stood uneasily on his feet now while gasping for air, waiting for her to get closer. She jabbed the kotachi hard into Zoro's stomach; he didn't dodge it. He stood there the whole time, as if he _wanted _to get stabbed; he didn't even make an attempt to block or move. Lacy smiled at him, but soon it disappeared when he took a hold of her wrist. But he didn't push her away or make her pull the kotachi out of his gut. Instead, he forced her to push the kotachi deeper into him. After realizing what his purpose was, she gladly let him do as he pleased.

"Lacy. I'm not going to fight you anymore. Why should I? There's no point at all. I could never truly hurt you..."

He pulled her closer, blood flowing out from his mouth. She tensed up. She didn't know what he was doing. Did he want to die? Zoro held her in his arms tight. She struggled, twisting the knife in his stomach. He yelled in pain and coughed up blood, but refused to let go of her. She then turned into water, freeing herself from his grip. As she formed back into her solid self, she tore the kotachi from his belly and sneered.

"Mada mada ne!!" Zoro ran towards her and swung his fist across her face as she dodged his attack. He was practically touching her face, he was so close. She began to laugh again, but Zoro wasn't swinging at air.

_Snap!_

Lacy looked down and saw the choker she was wearing shatter. Zoro's swung his fist so fast, it cut the air and grazed her choker just enough to break it. She fell unconscious to the ground, but Zoro caught her in his arms just in time.

Sanji was having a bit of trouble himself. But after his first round with Nami, he was able to use her to get to Robin. He had a way to kill 2 birds with one stone. He lured them together so they could attack him from both sides, but before they could get close enough, they entered his trap. He popped on his hands and spun around fast, kicking Robin and Nami in the back of their necks. Their chokers snapped off, and passed out on the floor.

"Sorry, ladies. But at least you're back to normal now." He lite himself a new cigarette and placed the 2 girls on their backs on a rug.

Zoro stared deep into Lacy's face. She seemed so calm and free. He could tell by her facial expression that she was brainwashed and exhausted from fighting. She was frail, yes, but not weak; at least not her mind. She had a long way to go to satisfy her need of being strong, but a strong mind is another thing you need to have to fight; and Lacy had it. He sighed and held his stomach with one hand, trying to stop the blood from pouring out. He hugged her and promised he would do everything in his power to protect her. He refused to see her like this and shuttered at the thought of losing her...

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Luffy's battle was long and difficult. Sukuna had transformed into a snake since she ate the Hebi Hebi no Mi. With her snake eyes, she was able to manipulate and control the women and managed to contain her power within chokers she made. It was also her reason for fighting at night and had a tight guard of the temple during the day; snakes are sensitive to light. So Luffy managed to use the light from her ceremonial torch and a metal plate as a flashlight to blind and attack Sukuna. In the end, she lost; leaving Luffy bloody, torn, and poisoned. But he didn't care since he knew the village had antidote for him. But he was growing pale and weak and needed to get back as soon as possible.

Luffy ran back inside the temple to help the others, when he saw Sanji watching over Robin and Nami while Zoro holding Lacy. He sighed in relief, but was cut short when the 3 of them heard a rumbling noise. The ground shook, and the temple was beginning to collapse due to Luffy's battle earlier with a giant snake. Zoro picked up Lacy while Sanji carried Nami and Luffy carried Robin. They ran out of the temple as fast as they could, and when they reached the opening, they saw the men from the village and Usopp and Chopper with them.

"We came to help you!" Shouted Berebo.

"What's going on?! Why is the floor shaking?" Asked Usopp.

"The temple's coming down! The women are still trapped inside!" Responded Sanji.

"The women?! Where are they?!" Asked the men.

"Follow me!" Replied Luffy. He handed Robin to Chopper who transformed into his human stage to carry her. Luffy led the men back inside the temple by the hallways he found earlier. There they saw the women unconscious in cells, which they broke opened. The men carried 2 girls each if they could, while some of the bigger and stronger men carried 3. They managed to all get out with Luffy trying to hold the roof up with his rubber abilities and were safe from the ruble.

They all went back to the village, where the men took off all the women's chokers and tended to Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji's wounds. Sanji wore a caste for a broken wrist and had small cuts on his face and arms. Luffy was cured with antidote for the poisonous cuts, and tended to his chest which had a deep gash in it from Sukuna's tail. As for Zoro, he was treated with extra care. He lost a lot of blood and was grwing weaker. His stomach was bandaged and thankfully managed to avoid the organs. The Straw-Hat girls were taken care of from their battles and given plenty of rest.

--------------------------------------------------

Nami was the first to wake up. She rubbed her head and wondered what was going on.

"Nami! you're awake~!!" Chopper cheered for his nakama.

She rubbed her head. "What happended? I remember resting against a tree when a bush attacked me and pulled me into a weird room."

"Some snake lady out you under her spell!"

"I was possessed?!"

"More like being controlled."

"Robin!"

Robin walked out of the girls room and sat down next to everyone else at the table. Luffy was busy devouring meat for his strength while Sanji was loving Nami and Robin. Zoro sat by the doorway, with his swords leaning against his chest. His back was to everyone as his mind wondered. Didn't they think they had to be more careful and maybe think of a plan for next time? Weren't they worried that it's possible to be controlled and turned on each other in this world? Or maybe he's the only one upset because he has a lover on the ship...

It was late at night when Lacy finally woke up. She rubbed her head and wondered why she was wearing different clothes. They seemed a size or two bigger than her normal clothes and was wondering if something happended while she slept. She looked around and noticed she was in a strange room. _Where am I? What happened?_ She got out of bed and walked outside. She scanned up and down the village and wondered where the Straw-Hat Pirates were. She spotted Nami and Chopper walking a few houses down. She ran over to them with a smile on her face, glad to see that Nami was alright.

"It's great to see you again, Nami! It was strange how you disappeared all of a sudden. Where did you go?"

"Same place you did."

"As me? Where was I?"

"You mean you don't remember either?" Chopper asked. Lacy shook her head.

"Well, I don't remember much either, but apparently we were being controlled by some snake woman." Nami said.

"A snake woman? Really?"

"Yeah. You were gone for a while, but when we finally got you guys back you've been alseep for nearly 2 days!" Said Chopper.

"2 DAYS?! That long? Wow... I remember blanking out, but for that long?"

"You guys were also taken to a temple with a whole bunch of other women. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro went to save you guys."

It clicked. "Zoro! That's right! Where is he?"

"Um..." Thought Nami. "I think I last saw him walking that way just outside the village." Nami pointed down to her right.

"Thank you!"

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy ran as fast as she could towards the end of the village. There sitting under a tree, was her green-haired wonder wearing an open blue shirt. "Zoro~!"

He looked up and waited, not recognizing her dark outline at first, then opened his eyes wide. "Lacy? Is that really you?" He stood up quickly, but Lacy was already there to greet him with a kiss. "Is this really you?"

"Of course it's really me! Who else would it be? I'm so glad to see you again! It seemed like forever!" She hugged him.

"Do you... remember what happened?"

"Not really... The last thing I can remember was Nami disappearing and I went to look for her. I was absorbed by a tree and fell in a dark stone room. I remember seeing these pair of glowing yellow eyes and a hissing noise, like a snake. Then a bright light, then darkness. I think that's when I blacked out."

"You don't remember anything else after that?" She shook her head.

"Oh my God, Zoro! What happened to you?!" She noticed bandages peeking above his haramaki and she could feel the lumps from the cotton squares taped to his stomach.

"Oh, this? It's nothing. Just a cut. Nothing serious."

"Can I see?"

"Why?"

"I want to see how bad it is so I can help."

"Really, it's ok. Nothing to it. It's been taken care of already anyways."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Same ol' cuts, you know me."

"That's why I'm asking to see, I _know _you. You get in the worst fights next to Luffy, only yours are bloodier! Now, let me see."

"No." Lacy tried to pull down his haramaki, but Zoro did his best to keep her hands away. She was different from before. He noticed a tremendous change in her strength. She seemed much weaker now and he was able to keep her hands away, unlike a couple days earlier.

"Come on Zoro! I want to help!"

"Stop it!"

"Why are you being so stubborn?!"

"Because I can! Now let go!" Lacy tricked Zoro by pulling up his haramaki instead and saw the thick bandages wrapped around his stomach. Zoro pushed her away and pulled down his waistband back.

"What's your problem?!"

"Because I don't want you to see what you've done, ok?!" He gasped. He didn't mean to tell her that, it just slipped.

"I... did that?" Zoro looked away from her. "Zoro, tell me the truth! Did I do that?"

He nodded. "Ah."

She began to shake. "What exactly... did I do?"

"Lacy... I'm not–"

"TELL ME!"

He sighed. "You... stabbed me." Her eyes widened. She fell to her knees and began to cry. "L-Lacy! Please don't! You didn't mean to!"

"I did that to you?! Why?! Why would I do that?!"

He knelt next to her and held her in his arms. "Listen to me, Lacy. You were brainwashed, hypnotized, under a spell, whatever you want to call it! Someone was controlling you and you couldn't help it. I've had much worse injuries than this, you know that."

"That's not the point! _I _did this to you! Me..." She couldn't stop sobbing. She knew she couldn't help it and had no control if her body and actions; but she could help thinking that _she_ was the cause of Zoro's injury.

"Listen to me," Zoro began as he lifted her face with his hands cupping her cheeks. "Do you honestly think I'm going to hate you after hurting me like this?" Lacy's tears started to flow over his hands. "There's no chance in hell I'm gonna get mad at you for this. To tell you the truth, I was surprised since you were so powerful. I'm proud of you; I know you work hard."

Lacy tried to smile, but it was hard when all she wanted to do was bite her bottom lip to stop crying. "T-thanks.."

Zoro leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss. His motions were hungry in a manner to show her he loved her. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She didn't want to touch Zoro after hurting him before. Zoro noticed her intentions and grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. Her eyes popped open and she could feel his mouth curl into a smile.

"It's ok to touch me, Lacy. You've done nothing wrong."

She calmed down and pressed her body close to his, their arms locked around each other.

"Lacy?" Zoro asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"When we were fighting that snake woman, she mentioned that you... um... 'agreed' with her about not being controlled by men. Is that true?"

She leaned back and looked into his curious eyes. "Huh? I don't even know who she is. I was brainwashed, remember? But since you said that, I _do _agree with her."

"What?!"

"I refuse to let a guy get the best of me. They think they're so much better than us; that's why I'm a tomboy. I like to show up guys and prove we're just as good if not better." She chuckled when she noticed Zoro's worried facial expression. "Heh heh relax Zoro~! I'm not rebelling against guys or anything; most men just think they're better, right?"

"Uh, well..."

"They do, ok? Someone's gotta prove to them that we can be just as good as men, right?" She winked at him with a smile.

Zoro laughed. "Looks like you volunteered then, huh? You _definitely _are man material."

She raised an eye brow. "'Man material'? Gee, thanks."

He kissed her on the forehead and stood up. "Well, you have an attitude and determination of a man. so I know you can beat the majority of them."

"Heehee~! Got THAT right~!"

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A couple days later, the Straw-Hat gang set sail once again on their journey for One Piece. The women threw flowers at the Going Merry as it set off into the morning sun. The gang could hear Berebo's cries as he thanked them again for saving their women and the island. Lacy felt somewhat better about what happened to Zoro, but still felt guilty. Luckily Luffy was there to cheer her up with his jokes and twisted facial expressions. They decided to celebrate for the hell of it (they're pirates after all, do they need a reason?) And everyone had a round of grog, everyone that is, except Lacy and Luffy (who drank milk). Lacy grabbed a mug of grog and joined everyone in their happy cries saying "kanpai".

"Lacy-chan? What are you doing?"

"What? Am I not allowed to have a drink?"

"But you've never–"

Before Sanji could finish, Lacy started chugging the grog like there was no tomorrow. When she was done, she let out a gasp for air and wiped her mouth. "Ah! Delicious! More please!" She held out her mug to Sanji.

"L-Lacy!! I though you've never drank alcohol before?!" Cried Nami.

"Heehee!! I've been practicing!"

"What do you mean you've been practicing?" Asked Zoro.

"Well, everyone drinks grog, and even though it's illegal in my world, everyone besides Robin is underaged and you all still drink. Besides, we're pirates, and pirates drink~! But to tell you the truth, I still have my sweet tooth so rum is the best! Especially rum and coke."

"But... you said you've been practicing. How?" Asked Usopp.

"Actually, when everyone was asleep, I'd sneak some grog into my room and try some."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"I felt bad since I was the only one not able to join in with everyone. And plus Zoro can hold his liquor and I wanted to be able to do that too."

"That's different!" Zoro yelled back at her.

"But I wanted to be involved! I swear I started out light then worked my way up! What I did was first test to see how much I can handle. Believe it or not, I feel dizzy until I started drinking the hard stuff. I found out I have a really high tolerance to alcohol. I think after my seventh drink, I couldn't see straight. Throughout the nights, I was able to increase the numbers of drinks to build up my limitations."

"So... how much can you handle?" Nami asked.

"Hmm... let me see... my record is about 11 or 12 rounds."

"11 OR 12 ROUNDS?! NO WAY!!"

"Hahaha!! I have to say, you _can_ hold your liquor pretty good now!" Zoro slapped Lacy on the back and held his head back and laughed. Lacy was happy to know that eveyone was cool about this, even is their reaction was a bit shocking. She knew everyone back home would murder her since she was under 21. But what did she care? She wasn't home and a pirate at that; and pirates drink no matter what the age.


	25. Ch24: Marine’s Encounter New Enemy

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**CHAPTER 24: Marine's Encounter New Enemy**

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Another island, another adventure. Only this time the island was a getaway. The marines had been following the Straw-Hat pirates for a couple days, following close on their trail. When they finally caught up, they exchanged cannon fire and caused the Going Merry to rock back and forth. Losing her grip, Lacy was thrown overboard and Usopp was the only available person to save her. When he resurfaced, the Going Merry had sailed far away with the marine's still behind them.

Usopp huffed as he swam Lacy to shore. "Daijoubu, Lacy. We're ok now."

She coughed up some sea water and turned her head slowly to face him. "Where... are we...?"

He looked around. "We're on an island, but I'm not sure the name of it. Are you alright?"

She sat up. "Yeah... I'm getting my strength back now..." She stared at Usopp in awe and smiled. "Thank you Usopp~"

"For what?"

"Silly! for saving me of course! That was a brave thing you did, you know."

He smiled and posed like a warrior. "Of course! Captain Usopp, bravest swimmer in all the four oceans at your service!"

She finally stood up and looked around. "Where's the Going Merry?"

"Saa naa. It sailed too far away to catch up to it. But they know we're on the island so they're bound to look for us if we just stay here--" He noticed Lacy walking down the shore. "O-Oi!! Where are you going?"

"To look for Going Merry, duh!"

"B-b-b-but we don't know what kind of beasts live on this island s-s-so why look around when we c-c-could be in d-danger?!"

She shrugged. "We won't know until we look."

"O-OI!!" He cried.

"If you don't want to come, you'll get left behind and I won't be able to protect you." Lacy called behind her. He got the hint and quickly caught up to her.

--------------------------------------------------

"Great... where are they now?" Zoro asked as he scanned the island for his missing crewmates.

"LACY-CHAAAAAAAN!! DOKO DESU KAAAA~~?"

Luffy hopped up on the railing. "USOPP!! LACY!! OOOOOOIIIII!!"

"We can't just keep circling the island." Nami commented. "We managed to lose the marines for now, but we need to hide the Going Merry and get on the island to look for them."

"Where should we hide then, Miss Navigator?" Robin asked.

"Ah ha~! There!" Chopper pointed at a crack in the rocks that seemed to lead into a small open lake within the island.

"Perfect! The marine's ships will be too big to fit in there!" Nami agreed. "Let's go!"

"Matte." Zoro interrupted. "Who's that?"

Everyone looked starboard and saw a large naval ship docked further down the island.

"Sugei~!!!" Luffy exclaimed. "It's so big~!!"

"Crap! A ship that big, it's just got to be a Lieutenant's ship!!" Nami shook.

"Eh." Robin agreed. "Seems like we should hurry and hide in here for now and quickly look for our nakama before they realize we're here."

--------------------------------------------------

"Do you even know where we're going?" Usopp asked Lacy as they continued to walk near the shore.

"Oh yeah 'cause you know I have a map of this island and everything."

"Really?"

She looked back at him and glared. "No baka! That was sarcasm!"

"Then what if we get lost?"

"We're walking along the shore, there's no way we can get lost. Besides, I'm not like Zoro. I have a photographic memory so if we happen to get lost, I can get us back for the most part."

"What do you mean for the most part?!"

"Hey hey! Give me a break! I'm looking to the Going Merry, our nakama, and paying attention to the scenery at the same time! I'm multitasking here which is a lot more that what you're doing."

"O-Oi! I'm looking too! What do you want me to do? Send off a flare or something?!"

Her eyes widened and she smiled. "Great idea! Send off a flare! They crew will most likely know it's you're flare!"

Usopp smiled as well. "Ah! you're right!" He took out a pellet from his bag and his mini slingshot. He aimed high in the sky and set off one of his green flares. "There!"

"Good news, Usopp. Now that we sent off the flare we can stay here for a while and see if anyone comes looking for us."

Usopp sat underneath a tree in the sand and sighed. "Good... my feat are starting to hurt-- WHA!!" A bullet flew by and hit the tree behind him, just missing his shoulder. "W-W-WHAT WAS THAT?!"

Another bullet shot at them, only this time hitting Lacy in the chest. She stumbled backwards a couple feet before regaining her balance. She looked behind her and saw the hole the bullet made when it went through her body.

"D-d-d-daijoubu, Lacy?!"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Bullets can't hurt me since I'm made of water." She reassured him.

He sighed in relief. "Thank God... I forgot about that for a second..."

She scanned the area and saw a pistol sticking out of a bush and flying circular razors spinning above the bush not too far from them. "Who's there?! Come out here now and show yourselves!"

Two men walked out from the bush, both wearing marine handkerchief and caps. One man was tall with neck length pink hair and a goatee. There was a scar on the right side of his face. He wore knuckle dusters on both his hands. The other man was wearing a strange purple and yellow poka dot shirt and his beard was in an Egyptian wrap. He wore heart shaped sunglasses and had long shaggy grey hair. Circular blades were spinning around both his index fingers.

"Looks like we stumbled upon a couple of lost pirates~" The man in the sunglasses sneered.

"And one of them is pretty cute too." Said the other pink haired man.

Lacy's eyes went wide. "Y-you're kidding me?! Jango?! Fullbody?!"

Usopp gave her a strange look. "You've met them before?!"

"Baka! Of course I haven't! They're from _One Piece,_ the anime!"

"A-ah... souka...."

_CHING!! CHING!!_

Suddenly Lacy fell hard to the ground, her face slamming into the dirt.

"W-w-w-w-w-wha?! What the hell–" She turned around and saw that her wrists and ankles were clamped together in cuffs. She gasped. "T-these are...!"

She heard a chuckle from the shadows. "Hina succeeded. You're under arrest, Lacy-chan."

Lacy's eyes grew wide in awe, already knowing who it was. "You're...Lt. Hina!"

A woman came out from behind a tree adjusting her dark purple gloves with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. She wore matching dark purple boots and a fuchsia red pant suit. A loose white shirt was worn underneath and wore fuchsia lipstick. Her hair was a long pale pink that went down to her upper thighs.

Hina smiled. "Correct." She nailed Usopp in the gut with her arm, creating a iron bar that wrapped around him. Like Lacy, he fell to the ground face first, landing next to his comrade.

"Usopp! Daijoubu?" Lacy asked wearily.

"E-eh..." Usopp responded in pain. "Wha... what _is _she?"

"She ate the Ori Ori no Mi..."

"The Ori Ori ni Mi?"

Lacy nodded. "Yeah. Whoever she hits, a bar in automatically wrapped around her opponent; trapping them in it. It's like having an unlimited built in net."

"Mou... that fruit sounds like it was made especially for the kaiguns..."

"Seems that way..." Lacy laid her head on the ground and took deep breaths.

"O-oi... daijoubu ka, Lacy?"

"Eh... iiyo... just tired is all... from these cuffs..."

Usopp raised an eyebrow. "Hah? Matte Lacy, you could easily get out of this, right? You can turn into water and slip loose."

She signed in annoyance and rolled over to face him. "If these were normal handcuffs, I could."

"What do you mean?"

"See their color? It's the same color as the bars the kaigun use in their jails. You know, for Devil Fruit users?"

"Y-y-you mean that strange sea rock?! Didn't Crocodile use that against us?!"

She nodded, resting her head again. "Yeah..."

"Enough chit chat." Hina stood over them, puffing into the wind as she held her newly lite cigarette. "If the one called 'King of Snipers Usopp' is here, then where's the rest of the crew? Surely the Straw-Hat pirates are hiding somewhere on this island?"

"We don't hide from the marines!" Lacy shouted angrily, using what strength she had to project her voice.

"Fine. Have it your way. Where's the Straw-Hat pirates _staying_?"

"Heh. Like I'd tell some marine trash like you."

Hina's brow twitched. "Marine trash, huh? Big talk for a..." She blinked and bent over her. "Just who are you exactly? Their accomplice?"

"I'm their newest member!"

"Oh? a new recruit for the Straw-Hat pirates then, huh? Sorry if I didn't know who you were. I just thought all members of the crew were top wanted pirates."

She sensed the teasing in her voice and showed the anger in her eyes. "Just you wait! I'll make the wanted posters soon enough! And I'll be a top bounty too, so just wait!"

The woman chuckled. "Oh really? You sound as if you're going to get away from me."

"Damn right I am!"

"I doubt it. Now tell me where the others are?"

Lacy sighed. "Say what you want. You're still not getting anything from me."

She closed her eyes in an annoying manner and adjusted her black gloves. "I see." She jabbed her heels into Lacy's back. She let out a sharp cry , clenching her fists to try and subside the pain. Hina continued talking. "Look, I've been searching for Monkey D. Luffy ever since he escaped from me in Alabasta. It's been a very long time and I'm growing impatient. Now where is he, little girl?

Lacy tried lifting her head, summing what was left of her strength and smiled. "Heh~ It's a s-e-c-r-e-t~!"

The lieutenant twisted her heel into Lacy's spine, pinching the skin. "Why you stubborn little...!"

Jango and Fullbody swooned at the sight of her fury. "What a hottie~! Say the special phrase you always use~!"

"Hina-jou!!"

"WAAAAI~~~" The men swooned.

A marine ran up to Hina and saluted her. "Lt. Hina-sama! You have an urgent message from the commander. Headquarters would like you to report back to them immediately!"

"Right now?!"

"Hai!"

She spat at the blonde pirate and removed her heel. "JANGO!! FULLBODY!!"

"HAI~!!" They both quickly stood in an erect position, waiting for her orders.

"Get these two out of my sight and take them to base! I'll deal with them later!"

"HAI, HINA-JOU~!"

--------------------------------------------------

"Agh!!"

Usopp and Lacy were thrown into a cell, still cuffed and barred. Jango and Fullbody agreed on taking turns with guarding the prisoners with Jango being first (after losing to a rock-paper-scissors game against each other).

Usopp whined. "Whuh.............. this sucks."

"Mmmmmmhmmmmm..."

"OI LACY!! PAY ATTENTION!!"

"...stop shouting Usopp... I'm weakened, not deaf."

He sighed. "Chikuso... if only you didn't have those weird cuffs on."

She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "Na... Usopp."

"What now?"

"I have a plan."

"Really?!"

"Ssssh!"

They glanced over to see Jango asleep in his chair.

"What is it?" Usopp whispered.

"I have a plan, but I'm going to need your help."

"Ok... what is it?"

"First of all... I know you have something to take care of your lock–" She looked over and saw he had already picked the lock and freed himself from the bar, smiling in his glory. "Umm... okies... what about me?!"

"You don't have a lock."

"Huh?" She tried feeling the tips of the cuffs on her wrists, but didn't feel any weird shape except the circular shape of the cuff. "Dammit... it must be indented in the sea rock.. Probably used only by a special key..."

"So what's your plan?"

She tried sitting up, leaning her body against the cold cell wall while her head hung and her hair in her face. "This plan will only work for Fullbody. So we'll put it into effect when he stands guard."

Usopp raised an eyebrow. "Why Fullbody?"

"Because he's a pervert. Well, just a sucker for the ladies actually."

"Like Sanji?"

"Sort of. So it'll be easy to tempt him."

Usopp sweat dropped. "T-tempt him into doing... what?"

She lifted her head and smirked. "Into falling for me."

There was a long pause as Usopp just stared at her with a blank expression. "Slut."

"I'M NOT A SLUT!!" She freaked when she realized she was screaming and whipped her head around to see Jango's reaction. He just twitched and mumbled something in his sleep. She sighed and whispered loudly. "Baka! If he's like Sanji, then that means I can get him to let us go!"

Usopp bobbed his fist in his palm. "Ah! Sou!"

"Anata...!" She hung her head again, taking more deep breaths. "Ok... listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once... I don't... have enough energy."

He nodded. "Alright."

"I'm going to give him a suggestive pose and do that stupid thing girls do when they want to lure men into coming closer to them."

"And that is... what?"

"Like... pretending my chest hurts or something. The usual BS girls use in anime. Anyways, I need you to save those cups of water over by that food tray and throw the water on me on my signal."

"Why?"

"Just trust me. And I'll need one more thing from you..."

"What?"

She blushed. "I-I need you to be mature about this, ok?"

"Just tell me already!"

She took a deep breath. "I need you to... cut my shorts really really short and lower the zipper on my shirt to show a lot of... cleavage..."

Now Usopp was blushing. "W-WHAT?!"

"Ssssssssssshhhhh!! Keep your voice down! I said to be mature about this!"

"B-b-b-b-but why me?!"

"Because you're the only one here, duh!" Usopp turned his head away and blushed, mumbling something under his breath. "You gotta trust me on this, Usopp."

"W-why?! How do you even know this will work?!"

She lifted her head with a sly smile curling across her lips. "Because I'm the One Piece Queen, remember?"

He stared at her for a moment, almost with a disappointed look. "Um... and this will help _how_?"

She let lout a tiresome giggle. "You doubt the knowledge of the One Piece Queen? I know these guys better than you do and if there's one thing I know, it's how everyone operates."

He sighed, shaking his head and holding out his hands. "Guess it can't be helped..."

--------------------------------------------------

"Where are they?!"

While Robin guarded the ship, Nami and the others searched the island for their missing nakama for hours and still no sign of them.

"You sure you saw Usopp's flare here?" Sanji asked Chopper.

The little deer nodded. "I swear! I can still smell their scent here too!"

"How strong is it?"

"Pretty strong. This is where they were last."

"Then were are they now?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know..."

"NOOOO!! LACY-CHAN!!!"

"Oi!!" Zoro glared at him.

"Ok then tough guy! where do YOU think they are?!"

"How the hell should I know!"

Do you think the marines caught them?" Luffy asked.

"Maybe..." Nami answered. "Especially if they're a devil Fruit's user it's possible..."

"Was it that Smoker guy?"

"It's a possibility..."

"Matte!" Chopper sniffed the air.

"You found them?" Luffy said with a smile.

"Ah! I got their scent again! but it's mixed with a few others as well..."

"So they were captured!" Sanji said.

"Kuso!" Zoro grunted. "Iguso, Chopper!"

"Un!"

--------------------------------------------------

"Lacy... Lacy? Oi, Lacy!!"

She opened her eyes slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the dim lite room. "What... happened?"

Usopp sighed. "You fell asleep. Jango and Full body already switched places to watch over us."

"WHAT?!" She leaned up against the wall and turned to see Fullbody helping himself to a sandwich. She slumped back, remembering her exhausted body was being drained from the cuffs.

"Oi," Usopp whispered closer to her, "when are we going to do this?"

She blinked, looking at her comrade chained up again. "I thought you were free. When did you get cuffed again?"

He smiled, proud of his crafty ways. "I placed them back on my hands to make it look like I was still captured."

She blinked again. "Hina came down and scared you with interrogation questions, didn't she?"

Tears like waterfalls were running down his nervous face. "N-No!"

"Oh come on! you didn't have to be scared anyways because we really don't know where they are!

"S-so?! She's still scary!!"

"Oi! Keep it down in there!" Fullbody snapped back at them.

"Ok," Lacy whispered, "let's get started."

Usopp quietly got out of his chain and pulled a few tools out from his bag. He revealed a few knives that looked like workman's tools, a pair of scissors, and a jug of water which he had hid from their cell cups. Lacy positioned herself more comfortably as Usopp crawled over to her.

"Ready?"

He gulped, his face turning red. "A-ah..."

He ripped most of her shorts, getting rid of the torn edges. Once he was finished, he took out his scissors and inched them towards Lacy's legs.

"Hurry Usopp!" Lacy whispered. "Thanks to me sleeping, we won't have much time before Hina or anyone comes back!"

He nodded. "A-ah..." His face was sweating and his hand shook nervously as he began to cut a seam up her thigh.

She sighed. "And I thought _you _of all people would be mature about this escape plan."

"O-oi!! I'm trying, ok?!"

"Hai hai..."

Usopp made a large slit up both sides of Lacy's shorts. When he was done, he put all of his tools away and gulped before grabbing a hold of Lacy's shirt zipper.

Lacy sweat dropped. "If it makes you feel any better, I won't think of you as a pervert."

"I'm not a pervert!!"

"SSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!! Just do it quickly!"

In a flash, he jerked the zipper down a bit, revealing a ton of cleavage. Usopp gasped and quickly slid back into his fake cuffs.

Lacy blushed. "B-baka! You made me show too much–!"

"QUIET!!" Fullybody yelled at them. His back was to them as he ate his sandwich.

Lacy scooted over towards Usopp and began to whisper once more. "Ok. Pour the water over me, preferably over my chest."

Usopp's face turned red as he quietly dumped the cold water all over her. When he was done, he quickly scooted over to the opposite side of the wall, and away from the half naked blonde. Lacy sat back against the wall and tried to look sexy, which was hard considering she's never done anything like this.

When she was finally ready, she took action. "A-ah! Ta... tasukete! Onegai shimasu!"

"Eh?" Fullbody looked over his shoulder and found Lacy moaning and panting against the wall as if she was in pain. "What's going on?"

"P-please... help me... ittai..."

Fullbody got up and unlocked the cell door and closing it behind him in case Usopp tried to sneak out. _Guess he's not as dumb as I thought, _Lacy thought to herself.

As Fullbody walked closer, Lacy cried out in pain. "Please! It hurts! It hurts so bad!" Her eyes were shut lightly, with her shoulders up, chest puffed out, and her legs folded to one side with one leg creeping it's way towards the opposite direction; revealing more of her skin.

She opened an eye and found Fullbody's face completely red. She thought her plan was working, but when she saw him start to drool and saw he was starting to get a nosebleed, she began to feel like he wanted to do 'this and that' with her.

Fullbody stretched out his wild fingers towards her. "What hurts?"

"My... chest... it aches..." Lacy gagged in her head. "Please help me... I need to grab some medicine out of my shirt..."

Fullbody gulped and took out a key ring. "You're weak from these cuffs anyways, so I'll help you get your medicine then locked up, got it? heh heh"

_Damn pervert! _Lacy thought. Instead, she merely smiled and fluttered her eyes at him, revealing even more leg. "Arigatou... Fullbody-sama..."

He chuckled as he took off her handcuffs. Her arms went limp to her sides, weak and helpless. He caught her in his arms.

Lacy lifted up one hand, trying to reach for the marine. "Fullbody... sama... my chest... could you pull out the medicine for me? I'm... so weak..."

He gulped and nodded with a smile, gladly accepting her favor. Lacy smirked at the last moment when his hands were centimeters from her breasts. She kicked him hard in the groin and forced him to drop her and fly sideways.

He held himself as tears formed in his eyes. "Why you little...!!" He squealed in a high voice.

She extended both of her arms and had water swirling our of her palms and wrapping around Fullbody's neck and arms. He struggled for a while before she knocked him against the wall, causing him to pass out. When his body went limp, the water released him.

Lacy dragged her body over to the ring of keys Fullbody dropped when she kicked him. She smiled at her victory. "Ok, so he _was _dumb after all~!"

"All hail the One Piece Queen!!" Usopp exclaimed.

She spun around and saw Usopp bowing continuously in front of her. She giggled and waved her hand at him. "Hai hai, I am great, aren't I?"

He stopped and sat up. "I honestly didn't think that would work."

"You doubted me?"

"Well... u-um..."

"Never mind. I just can't believe I did something as disgraceful as that..." She sweat dropped.

--------------------------------------------------

"They're in THERE?!"

The Straw-Hat pirates stood outside of the island's marine headquarters with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"Great! How the hell are we going to get in there and find them undetected?!" Sanji asked.

"Just go through the frint gate~!"

Sanji hit Luffy on the head. "Baka! We can't do that!" Zoro walked around the side, observing the fortress. "Don't get yourself lost too, marimo!"

"Shut up! I'm looking for a way into this place."

"Tee mee! How the hell do you think--"

_BOOOOM!!_

They turned around and saw small explosions going off in the headquarters.

"What was that?" Nami asked.

"Wait... there they are!" Luffy pointed. Sure enough Lacy and Usopp were running like mad from the persuing naval officers.

"UWAAAAAAA!!" Usopp screamed as he threw smoke pellets and fire star bombs at the marines.

"Run run run run run!!!" Lacy yelled at him while using her water abilities to sweep away anyone blocking their path.

"Lacy-chan~!!"

"Eh?" Zoro looked closer at Lacy and noticed her revealing outfit. He blushed with a scowl look on his face.

Luffy laughed. "They're having fun, aren't they~? Haha!!"

They busted though the front gate and continued running like the wind and passed their crew.

"O-Oi! Lacy!" Zoro called after her.

She stopped and looked behind to see everyone. she smiled wide. "Minna! You guys came for us after all!"

"Of course we did, baka! E-erm..." He scanned her for a moment and blushed.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?" She looked down and noticed her revealing clothing. She squealed in embarrassment and covered herself, forgetting she was wearing them. "Kyaa! Don't look!"

Sanji's began to get a nosebleed. "Ah Lacy-chwan~!! You are so good to me~!!"

Usopp hit Sanji's chest with the back of his hand. "Oi!"

"I hate to break up this lovely reunion, but we're still being chased by the marines!!" Nami yelled over everyone.

"T-that's right! A powerful woman is here!" Usopp mentioned.

"Who?"

"Lieutenant Hina! She has the Devil Fruit power to capture us in unbreakable chains! Sea rock chains!"

"EH?!" Chopper gasped. "L-Let's go then!!"

Everyone ran back towards the ship as fast as they could. They managed to lose the marines, but it was only a matter of time before Hina came after them herself. They hoisted the sails and hung up the anchor as they set sail from the island.

As they sailed back out into the open ocean, Hina's ship was already waited for them and firing their cannons.

"Shimatta! We're in trouble!" Chopper shouted.

Luffy winded up his arm, readying himself for an attack. "I'll deal with it in one blow~!"

"Matte, Luffy." Lacy stopped him. "I have a promise to keep with Hina."

"Eh?" He stepped back and let Lacy do as she pleased.

She positioned herself to where Hina could see her. Hina was eying her through a telescope. "Tch. What does that little nothing of a girl think she's doing now?"

"H-Hina-sama!" One of her officers yelled at her.

"What is it now?"

"T-t-there's a large whirlpool up ahead!"

She looked down and saw the large hole open up in the water with the water churning fast within it. "Do not worry. The ship's fast enough to evade it."

"B-but... Hina-sama!"

"What?!" She asked, getting impatient. The officer pointed behind them and her eyes went wide. A huge tsunami of a wave suddenly formed behind their ship and was moving fast towards their ship. She glared back at Lacy, seeing her arms extended forward. It was then she knew how powerful she really was. She smiled through angry eyes. "Seems like this little nothing of a girl is more powerful than I thought, especially when she's on the ocean."

"H-Hina-sama?"

"This girl is not only dangerous to us, but to the marine officers and lieutenants with Devil Fruit abilities."

"Y-you mean SHE'S the one making the wave and whirlpool?!"

Before she could answer, the wave crashed behind their ship, forcing it to run into the whirlpool. As the ship spun within it, Hina glanced back up and Lacy and noticed her smiling and waving at her in a mocking manner. She pointed at Fullbody and Jango. "You two! Inform all marine headcourters of a new bounty! This little blonde must be stopped!"

--------------------------------------------------

Victorious and miles away from the marines, the Straw-Hat pirates could finally relax and hear Lacy and Usopp's tale.

"What was your promise to that woman?" Luffy asked Lacy.

She crossed her arms and huffed. "She insulted me! I wanted to prove to her that I can be just as much of a threat to the marines as you guys!"

"Ok... then why..." Zoro pointed at her, "are you wearing THAT?!"

Forgetting once again, she covered herself. "Kyaa!! I-It was for a diversion to get us free!!"

"You mean the whole 'chest hurting' thing?" He blushed.

"H-hey! Every time I see that move in an anime, it's worked so I tried it and ta-da! Success! But I had to look... erm... 'convincing'."

Sanji whirled around her with hearts in his eyes. "WAAAH~~ Lacy-chan looks so sexy~!!"

She blushed. "Mou!!" She stopped and looked up at Zoro, noticing a little bit of blood dripping from his nose, even though his facial expression read 'unforgivable'. "S-stop looking at me!!" she ran back into the cabin to change into different clothes.

Sanji blinked and looked back at Zoro, noticing what Lacy had noticed. "Z-ZORO!!"

He quickly wiped his nose and walked back into the cabin. "U-urusai!!"

Everyone else was confused. Maybe it was for the best.


	26. Ch25: What's Mine is Mine

---

**CHAPTER 25: What's Mine is Mine  
**

---

The holidays came and went with everyone spending it on the Going Merry. But now it was late January and everyone was starting to get cabin fever. Usopp was in the crow's nest above with his telescope out and radio on. Just then, he spotted a flock of seagulls swarming around a little whirlpool.

"How does everything look up there, Usopp?"Nami called from below.

He zoomed in on the spot. "So far so good, but something is going on in that whirlpool on port side."

"Whirlpool?" She looked over and saw something sticking out of the spiraling funnel. "Can you zoom in and see?"

"Yeah..." He put on his goggles and zoomed in even more and gasped. "T-there's a dinghy in that whirlpool! Looks like there's someone in it!"

"Someone help me!!" A young woman screamed out of the dinghy, but all anyone could see were her arms waving in the air.

Nami's eyes went wide. "What is someone doing in a dinghy out in the middle of the ocean?! Luffy! Sanji-kun! Zoro!"

The boys came out of the cabin or around the cabin corner to Nami's call. "What is it?" They asked.

"There's someone in that whirlpool! Rescue them!"

Luffy hopped up on the railing and winded up his arm. "Yosh! I'll do it!" He threw out an arm and grabbed on to the woman's arms. "Got her!"

Lacy folded her arms across her chest on the sidelines and pondered. "Why does this look familiar..."

Luffy slingshot the woman back, but was rocketing her across the ocean. Sanji screamed. "O-Oi teemee!!" He jumped out of the way.

"Wait a minute... Now I know why this looks familiar!" Lacy's eyes went wide and she held an arm out to Zoro. "Zoro!! Get out of the way or else--!!" Too late. Luffy's arm slammed into the swordsman, knocking both him and the woman into the ocean. She sweat dropped and hung her head. "N-not quick enough..."

Everyone ran over to the railing and saw Zoro hanging on to the woman with a large bump emerging from his head.

"Zoro! Are you ok?!" Lacy asked.

Luffy laughed. "Wari, Zoro."

"TEEMEE YO!!" Zoro screamed up at the captain.

The girl coughed up sea water as the rest of the crew threw down a rope and pull them both up. As soon as they caught their breath on the deck they were given towels.

The woman looked up at Zoro and gave him a big blushing smile. "You... you saved me!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, catching him off guard. "Thank you so much! I am in your debt!"

She was a small petite woman, probably the same age as most of the crew. She had fair skin, blue eyes, and long chestnut hair in a low ponytail pulled in front over her right shoulder. She wore a plain tight pale yellow shirt and a long light brown skirt that split down the middle, exposing her knees and lower legs. To complete the outfit was a pair straw sandals that had white ribbons lacing up her ankles.

Lacy's brow twitched at the site and casually crept behind. "Are you alright, Zoro?" She interrupted.

"Yeah." He replied, trying to get the woman off of him.

Luffy pouted. "I'm the one that saved you, actually..."

Sanji and Zoro telled in unison. "Like hell!!"

Lacy glanced back at the woman. "Who are you?"

"Oh! Forgive me, I'm Amelia."

Sanji swooned. "Ah~ What a lovely name~"

"What in the world were you doing out in the middle of the ocean?" Nami asked.

She stayed kneeling on the deck and hung her head. "I was looking for help."

"Help for what?" Robin asked.

"My village is being enslaved by an evil man!"

"Pirates?" Chopper asked.

Amelia shrieked. "Kyeee!! The gopher talked!!"

"I'M A REINDEER!!"

"Are they pirates?" Zoro repeated.

She faced him and flashed him a shy sweet smile. "Thank you so much for caring~. And no, they're not pirates. Half our island has pirates."

Lacy's brow twitched again and she scooted closer to Zoro, almost touching. "It's a mixed port?"

"Yeah. But the man who's taken over is a cyborg, so he's powerful and fearless. no one's strong enough or brave enough to face him."

"That explains why you don't fear us. What's he doing to your village?" Robin asked.

She hung her head again. "He's forcing our entire village to build a pyramid as a symbolic monument for his reign over the island."

"You're kidding?! An actual pyramid?!" Nami gasped.

"And he's making you and all the other beautiful women work?! Unforgivable!"

Nami glared at Sanji. "Anata...!"

Lacy smiled. "I'm actually curious to see this pyramid. How much of it is done?"

"Lacy!!" Nami hit her arm.

"How dare you!" Amelia yelled at her. "Have you no heart?! We've been enslaved and treated like dirt for months and all you care about is what the damn thing looks like?!"

She held up her hands defensively. "That's not what I meant. I'm a history geek. I'm just fascinated by these things. Besides, we'll kick his ass and make sure he never bothers anyone again."

She blinked. "Eh? You mean you're gonna help me?"

Sanji knelt by her and held out a hand to her. "Have no fear, Amelia-chan. We won't let anyone harm you or anyone else. Not while we're here."

"Chotto matte!" Nami said. "Can we at least have a group discussion about this?"

Amelia turned to Zoro with sad eyes. "You'll help too, won't you Mr. Swordsman?"

He sweat dropped. "Well, yeah. If the rest of the crew is going."

Lacy wrapped her arms around Zoro's bicep. "Don't worry. We'll do our best." She smiled, but a fire was slowly burning within. _Who does she think she is?!_

Luffy laughed and crossed his arms. "Yosh! It's been decided! We'll help Amelia's village out!"

She smiled. "Hontou?!"

Usopp chuckled. "Leave everything to us!"

--------------------------------------------------

With Amelia's help, she directed the crew to her island which only took half a day to sail to and it was growing dark. They dropped anchor and followed Amelia to a nearby village that bordered the ocean. They got themselves a nice hotel room for free thanks to Amelia's connections. As soon as everyone was settled, they gathered around the table and listened to Amelia's story. When she finished, everyone wondered what to do.

"So this man, Kabamaru, is a cyborg and he's taken over your village for almost a year now?" Nami confirmed her story.

Amelia nodded. "He's actually large in size, so it's not just his power that intimidating."

"So he's only controlling your village?"

"Not exactly. Some of the neighboring villages are under his control as well away from the ocean, but thankfully he hasn't taken over the entire island. But it could only be a matter of time... That's why villages around the shoreline is safer than the middle of the island."

"Why is that?" Robin asked.

"He's afraid of water."

"He's not a Devil's Fruit user, is he?" Sanji asked, serving them dinner from the room's mini kitchen.

She shook her head. "No, he just doesn't like water for some reason."

"Wonder why..."

"Well he's a cyborg, right?" Usopp spoke up. "So he's made of metal. Wouldn't that mean he'd just sink?"

"It's not just that." Amelia explained. "It's just water in general. Besides, we don't even know if he can swim or not because we've never seen him in the ocean."

Usopp nodded. "Metal and water don't mix anyways."

"This is perfect! Huh, Lacy?" Nami said with a smile.

She nodded. "Yup! Sounds to me like water's our only answer so far. Looks like this will be a piece of cake."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "My, aren't you getting over confident..."

Her eyes twitched. "What was that?"

She looked up at Zoro, who she scooted closer to. "Ne, Mr. Swordsman. You'll save us, right?"

Lacy, who was sitting just on the other side of Zoro, felt her chest tighten. "Why just him? We're all here to help." She said calmly.

"But Mr. Swordsman is strong~." She complimented.

Sanji knelt by her and smiled. "Have no fear, Amelia-chan. I am stronger than him anyways~."

She ignored him and leaned against Zoro with a smile from ear to ear. "I am so glad to have met such a strong person like you~."

Zoro just blinked at her while he ate his food. He was puzzled by her compliments when Sanji was clearly swooning over her. Then again, he swoons over any skirt with a pair of nice legs. He felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine and he looked over at Lacy. His eyes widened when he saw her glaring up at him. "W-what?"

She looked away with a sour expression and continued to drink her rum. "Nothing."

"I know something's bothering you, Lacy. What's wrong--"

Amelia playfully tugged on his haramaki. "Ne, Mr. Swordsman~ Do you want me to get you more food~?"

Lacy stood up in a flash. "N-no! If you want food, please let me get it for you."

Amelia stood up as well, still smiling at Zoro. "If you're done with dinner then allow me to bake you some brownies~."

"I know you're not much of a brownie person, Zoro. Let me make some lemon finger cakes instead!

She looked up at the blonde with a low gaze. "If he wants something, then _I'll_ get it for him, ok?!"

She glared right back. "Like hell! _I'm_ the one he'd want to bring stuff to!"

"What makes you so special, huh?!"

"What makes you think you have a chance in hell?!"

"What the hell is everyone's problem?! I don't need anything brought to me when I can get it myself!" Zoro shouted above the girls.

Everyone gulped at the mini girl fight and kept their distance in case any claws broke out. Robin leaned over to Nami. "I'm sensing some tension in the room, don't you?" She only nodded.

Amelia sat back down and hugged Zoro's arm. "Oh Mr. Swordsman~. You're so considerate of others and not wanting them to spoil you. I understand~."

Lacy banged her hands on the table and let out a frustrated growl. She pushed her chair back and walked away from the table. "Fine!!"

Zoro sweat dropped. "Where are you going?"

"To bed!!"

Before she closed the door all the way, she heard Amelia speak up in an excited shy voice. "This is perfect, Mr. Swordsman~ You can sleep in my room when we finally decide to go to bed--"

Lacy whirled back around and pointed at them. "Just try, ya hussy!" And with that, she slammed the door.

Amelia blinked for a moment then sighed. "That girl has some serious anger issues."

Sanji looked at the man. "Well? Aren't you going to go after her?"

Zoro placed a hand on his forehead. "No... when she's mad like this it's better to just let her cool off first before talking..."

"That's ok~" Amelia giggled. "You can talk to me instead for now~."

Lacy leaned against the other side of the door, listening to them through the wood. She slumped down and hugged herself. "Baka... doesn't he know anything..." She pulled her legs up to her chest and resting her head on her knees. "Baka... baka..."

--------------------------------------------------

The crew left the village early that next morning and walked through a dark forest nearby. It was filled with fog and the air was thick with moisture. As they walked through the forest, Usopp and Chopper huddled against each other while everyone else looked around. Lacy on the other hand walked next to Zoro, but kept to herself; waiting for Amelia to pull any fast ones on him.

Usopp shivered. "G-guys? Am I the only one who hears strange noises and moans from the trees?"

Nami rolled her eyes. "It's just a regular forest that happens to be darker."

"S-s-says you..."

"It's actually quite harmless to be in here." Amelia comforted them. "I used to come in here a lot, so there's no need to fear--" Suddenly an owl hooted and flew out of the tree next to her. She shrieked and flung herself into Zoro's arms, smiling. "Kyaa!!"

Lacy's eyes went wide and a vein bulged in her forehead as she watched her man embrace another woman. She stepped over to them and spoke in a very calm unconcerned voice. "What are you doing?"

Zoro sweat dropped. "U-um... are you ok?" He asked the frightened girl.

"It was only an owl." She glared.

Amelia pushed herself off and held her cheeks in a shy blush. "Oh my goodness! Forgive me, Mr Swordsman. I-I was just so startled from that owl. Good thing you were here to save me if something were to happen~."

Lacy gagged. "Like I said, it was just an owl. Get over it."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Oh? And I bet you're going to say you're not afraid of anything, are you?"

"No, I have things I'm afraid of and it's not owls or foggy forests."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really!"

Nami leaned over and whispered to Robin. "Is it just me, or am I sensing some rivalry here?" Robin just chuckled.

Suddenly, a snaked crept over Lacy's shoulder and she jumped. Amelia laughed. "I knew it! You're only acting tough!"

"Shut up! It caught me off guard, ok?! Besides," she gently held the snake and it wrapped itself around her arm, "I like snakes."

Amelia shuttered. "Y-you're kidding?! You're actually holding that thing?!"

"It's a harmless green tree python. It's just looking for a warm branch to coil on and found me instead."

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you, a snake expert?"

"No. I just know the basics. I grew up in a desert, so I know some things about snakes. Can we just keep moving?" She placed the snake back on a branch and walked with the others, leaving Zoro and Amelia in the back.

Amelia leaned over to him a whispered. "Is she always this weird?"

He chuckled. "Hn. Pretty much."

After another 30 minutes of walking, they finally spotted the top of the unfinished pyramid over the trees and knew they were getting close.

"This way." Amelia pointed to the left of the forest.

Lacy looked in the direction she was pointing, then back at the pyramid. "Um... aren't you going away from the village rather than going to it?"

"What do you know? I know this island better than anyone so I think I know where I'm going!"

"But she's right." Chopper agreed with Lacy. "I can smell wet clay over in this direction. What's over there?"

The girl grabbed Zoro's hand and pulled him in her direction. "Come on, Mr. Swordsman. We have to go this way."

"Bad idea." Sanji commented. "He'll just get you both lost."

Zoro glared at the cook. "Teemee...!"

Nami sighed. "Whether his sense of direction is bad or not, the pyramid is clearly in this direction. Shouldn't we go this way?"

"Fine! Go that way if you want, but we're going this way."

"Zoro!" Lacy whined. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"W-what? She's tugging me!"

"And you aren't strong enough to break away?!"

"Well think about it guys: she knows where we're going and it could be a trap up ahead. Maybe we should go this way instead."

Amelia smiled. "You really agree with me, Mr Swordsman~?" She blushed and smiled. "I'm so glad you trust me~. Let's go then~." She tugged on him again.

Lacy's hands balled into fists at her sides. "You're kidding me?! You're seriously going to go that way with her?! Fine!" She stomped off and walked in the direction of the pyramid.

"L-Lacy!" Zoro yelled after her. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you!"

Amelia sighed. "What's her problem? I was only trying to help you guys. Now come on~."

"Let go. I need to go after her."

"Don't worry." Robin said. "I'll go after her."

"Me too." Chopper joined.

"I guess we have no choice but to go this way with Amelia." Nami sighed. "Catch up with us later, ok?"

"Somehow I feel like I'm the root to her anger lately." Zoro sighed.

"What ever gave you that idea?" Sanji said sarcastically.

--------------------------------------------------

Robin and Chopper caught up with Lacy and saw that she was still steamed.

"U-um... are you ok Lacy?" The little deer asked.

Lacy grunted. "Gaah! Who does she think she is?!"

"You mean Amelia?"

She grunted again. "And why is he going along with her?! Pisses me off!"

"Y-you mean Zoro?"

"Is he so dense that he can't even tell that she's flirting with him?! And she's horrible at it! She's acting like a stupid little ditsy high school girl throwing herself out there for anyone willing to take her!! Chikuso!!"

Robin chuckled and sweat dropped. "I think you may be over reacting, Miss Artist."

"Over reacting?! I'm not over reacting at all!!"

"Hai hai."

"Is she really that bad of a person?" Chopper asked.

Lacy sighed. "I don't know... I'm just being childish I guess..."

"You there!!"

The three of them looked over and saw a guard pointing a gun at them.

"Great..." Lacy mumbled.

"What are you two doing?!"

Robin blinked. "You two?" The girls looked at Chopper and noticed he was in his deer form, fooling the guard to think he was just an ordinary animal. "Ah."

"Think you can sneak off? Get back to your lines!"

Lacy rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Even if I _was _part of the pyramid building, I'd still refuse to go with you douche bags." The guard pointed the gun at them. "Like guns will work on us--"

The guard fired and instead of a bullet, a large volt of electricity shot out at them, paralyzing them almost instantly. The girls yelled in pain and collapsed to the ground. As the guard hiked his way up to them, Lacy grabbed Chopper's leg, who was ready to charge the man.

"Lacy! Omae...!"

"Shh... he thinks you're... an animal... go warn the others... go..."

Chopper hesitated for a moment, then nodded before the guard reached them. He ran into the forest, leaving both of the girls unconscious and in the enemy's hands.

--------------------------------------------------

"This is a huge village!!" Nami said in awe as they arrived at their destination.

"Amelia! Amelia!" And woman waved her arms at them.

"Fuyu!" She ran towards the woman and gave her a hug.

"Where have you been?! The guards have been looking all over for you ever since they heard you escaped! You shouldn't have come back! You know the penalty for escaping!"

"It's ok, my friend! I brought help!"

"Help?" The woman looked back at the gang. "They're here to help us? But there's only a few of them."

"Don't worry. Mr. Swordsman will save us all~."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Why is she only talking about me?"

"You are a clueless dolt, aren't you?" Sanji mumbled.

"What was that?!"

"Saa naa..." He ignored him. "I have no idea why she's even interested in a marimo like you..."

"Look if you have something to say then just say it, damn perverted cook!"

Nami pushed her way through them. "Pleasure to meet you, Fuyu was it? And it's true we don't look like much, but we're much stronger than you think."

"We'll beat those guys up for you!" Luffy smiled.

Fuyu blinked. "You'll really help us? Even though we're strangers?"

Nami smiled and sighed. "It's sort of in our nature to help no matter what."

The woman smiled, teary eyed. "Thank you all so much!"

"Hey it's Chopper!" Usopp pointed. The deer stopped behind the group and waited a moment to catch his breath.

"Where's the others?" Luffy asked.

"Terrible news!" The deer panicked. "Robin and Lacy were captured by a guard working for the pyramid! He thought they were part of the village and zapped them!"

Sanji's eyes went wide. "Nani?!"

"What do you mean zapped?" Zoro asked.

"The guard had a weird gun that shot electricity at them. Judging by the way they collapsed, it must of been on a high voltage!"

"No way!" Usopp gasped.

Zoro started to run back in the opposite direction. "We've got to save them--"

Amelia grabbed onto his arm and stopped him. "Yamette! If you go that way, you'll get captured too!"

"Like hell I will! Let go!"

She held on tighter. "Yamette kudasai! You can't go alone! That's why I brought you this way! We have to think of a way to take out Kabamaru first!"

Fuyu joined in. "That's right! We have to take out the leader first then the rest of them will fall!"

"They're right, Zoro." Nami agreed. "Let's figure out a plan first then we can save the others."

"So we're just going to leave Lacy and Robin to be enslaved?!"

"They'll be ok, won't they?" Asked Usopp. Amelia and Fuyu knelt their heads. "What's wrong?"

"The guards... now think that they were trying to escape. So they may be punished."

"Punished?! Kuso!!" Sanji cursed.

"Can I go now?!" Zoro yelled. "If they're going to be punished then we need to act now!"

"Zoro." Luffy stopped him. "We'll get them back and save everyone. Let's find this cyborg guy first and kick his ass!"

He grunted and sighed. "Kuso... fine! Let's hurry up and get this damn thing over with!"

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy slowly opened her eyes and noticed her and Robin were being transported in a wagon towards a working site near the pyramid. Both of them had their wrists bounded in rope and had a white arm band with a number on it.

"Are you ok?" Robin asked.

She nodded. "Where are we going?"

"To the pyramid. Apparently we're being taken to the block carrying station. According to the guards, it's one of the toughest positions for the pyramid and we're being taken later to be properly punished by Kabamaru."

"You're kidding? So after some hard labor they're gonna take us to the head honcho for some discipline?" Robin nodded. She slumped back against the wagon's side. "Great... So why haven't you escaped?"

"We are being surrounded by guards with those strange guns."

"We can take them."

"Hard to say. They're on very high voltage for us and they're surprisingly fast."

The wagon stopped and a guard came around the back and pulled down the gate. "Alright you two, get out." They obeyed and followed the guard to the top of a hill and waited for their next orders. Another guard came and placed them among the men in a line for the blocks. "Now get back to work! We'll be back in the evening to take you to Kabamaru-sama!"

"Screw this!" Lacy began to run for it, easily slipping out of her ropes with her water ability.

The guards were on her quick, impressing her with their organization. She was surprised that they didn't call for back up and it worried her. As she ran to an opening, a couple of guards got their guns ready and aimed for her back. She panicked and began to change into water and slither her way out. She could hear them shouting at each other that she was a Devil's Fruit user and it only made her feel proud. She was stopped short when she felt electricity spiral around her. She screamed in pain and fell to her knees. As soon as the electricity ceased, she crawled her way to the opening, hoping for a slight chance of escaping. The guards shot more electricity at her and finally forced her to fall completely to the ground.

As the guards collected her and dragged her back, one of them stared in disgust. "Looks like this one's a problem." He said. "Forget the pyramid. Take her to Kabamaru-sama right away. We have no use for a Devil's Fruit user who won't cause anything but trouble."

As she was being taken away, Robin took a step forward. "Lacy!!" She crossed her arms and a few of the guards had their backs snapped thanks to her ability. But a guard snuck up from behind and - like Lacy- was electrocuted. She stumbled backwards and used the pyramid for balance.

The guard pointed his gun at her. "Get back to work troublemaker!!"

She pondered in confusion. _I do not understand... why did they take Lacy away for using her power and not me? Something seems fishy here..._

--------------------------------------------------

There was no time to spare. Night was fast approaching and the gang finally devised a plan. Luffy and the men would make their way into Kabamaru's fortress on the other side of the pyramid and bring Nami and Usopp to the front line. Nami will use her weather pole to create a rain cloud while Usopp will shoot water balloons at Kabamaru in the meantime. Once they water down the cyborg, Luffy will come in and defeat him. It wasn't much of a plan, but it's all they could do for now without Lacy's power. Most of the crew helped Usopp and the others prepare for their encounter while Zoro meditated outside.

Amelia went out later to find him, admiring his tranquil posture."You really are powerful, aren't you Mr. Swordsman? To be meditating like that."

He opened his eyes. "I've been stressing these past few hours."

"Because of the battle ahead?"

"No. I need to clear my mind if I want to save Lacy. I did something unknowingly to upset her. Now she's in trouble."

She sat down next to him and huffed. "Lacy. Lacy. Lacy. That's all you talk about! Even your nakama kept mentioning her when we were creating a plan. What's so special about her?"

Zoro unfolded his legs and leaned back, finished with his meditation. "She is a valued member of this kaizokudan like everyone else. And in this situation, her power would be very useful."

"Oh? And what power is that?" She scowled.

"She ate the Mizu Mizu no Mi."

Her eyes widened. "Nani?! So you're telling me she could easily wipe out Kabamaru?!" He nodded. "So that's why she said this will be a piece of cake! Geez! She could've told me sooner..."

"Her ability would be better. But now it's personal."

"What do you mean?"

"They took her and now I'm really pissed."

She felt her heart skip a beat. She looked down and felt tears starting to swell in her eyes. "You really care for your nakama, don't you?"

"I do."

She stood up and gave him a fake smile. "Well then, let's save her and the others. But," she blushed, "when we do, I have something to tell you when we're done. Promise to listen?"

He stood with as well and gave her a puzzled look. "Um... ok. Sure."

"Oi, Zoro!" Luffy waved at him. "We're leaving!"

--------------------------------------------------

The crew rushed towards the other side of the pyramid along with Amelia, who argued into tagging along with them. They all carefully snuck passed the guards and taking some of them out along the way if spotted. Thanks to Luffy's stretching ability, he was able to take out most of the guards without even giving them the chance to fire electricity at them. Zoro and Sanji were of much help as they created large gusts of wind to deflect any electricity that was shot at them using only swords and leg power. They finally reached the other side and entered the fortress with fighting ease. The fortress wasn't that impressive. It was quite small and only four stories high plus a basement.

"Where are all the villagers?" Nami asked Amelia.

"It's dark now. They let them go back to their cells to sleep until dawn."

"Well, at least no one innocent will get hurt here tonight." Chopper sighed in relief.

As they entered the fortress, Sanji managed to capture a guard and made him tell them where to find Kabamaru. They ran to the top of the fortress on a spiral staircase, avoiding more guards and traps. When they finally reached the top, they entered a large room that look vaguely like a dungeon, only on the top floor instead of the basement where one should be. Inside was a large man with several guards surrounding him. The large man was talking to a handful of prisoners hanging on the wall by metal wrist shackles. One of the prisoners was Lacy.

Zoro gazed at her. "Lacy!!"

Amelia took a step back. Her eyes went wide with fear. "Ka...Kabamaru!"

"Eeh~" Luffy cracked his knuckles. "So that's the cyborg, huh?"

"Heh~ And who are you guys?" The man asked. He looked human enough to them, but they knew of his metal structure. He was about 8" tall, and a bit on the heavy side. He had a buzz cut and an unshaven face. He wore regular jeans and olive t-shirt, but his jacket almost resembled a pirate captain's with the tassels and all. "Looks to me like the trouble makers finally found me."

Usopp shook as he stepped behind Sanji. "Y-y-you knew we were coming?"

He nodded. "You've been the talk of the town ever since your women made their way here. I thought they were neighboring villagers trying to escape, but I was wrong."

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "How did you know they were with us?"

"I examine all my prisoners first so I am aware of any Devil's Fruit users spirit users. Their power was unknown to me and not in our records. And besides, we have wires." He pointed at the ear piece in his left ear. "I am contacted instantly when something goes wrong. You can say we've had 'naval' communications training." He smirked. "This one was quite the troublemaker of them all with her useless escapes." He pointed a thumb at Lacy, who they noticed was hanging unconsciously.

"What have you done to her?!" Zoro growled, tightening his grip on his swords.

"Not much, really. I just wanted to know where she came from and wanted to force her to help work on my monument, but she proved herself to be extremely stubborn and rebellious. Someone had to show her who's in charge around here."

"So you kept electrocuting her?!" Nami shouted.

"Normally the voltage isn't on very high, but with her strength and ability, we had to boost the power. She only made it easier whenever she tried to turn into water." He threw back his head and laughed. "Stupid girl! Does she not know anything about science?! Water is vulnerable to electricity!"

"Kisama!!" Zoro unsheathed two of his swords and ran at the cyborg.

Sanji and Luffy followed behind him. Kabamaru didn't even move, instead the guards charged at them. Like all the other guards, the men blasted them away and backfiring the volts at the guards. Some of the volts hit the cyborg, but thanks to his metal body he was unaffected. As soon as the three men approached him, he opened his mouth and let out a low yell, sending them all backwards. They were thrown against the wall, making an indentation of their bodies in the stone.

"N-n-n-no way!!" Usopp yelled.

"He threw them back with just a yell?!" Nami said.

"It's a sonic wave." Amelia explained.

"Sonic wave?"

"Ah... I've only seen him use it once, but it was so long ago I had forgotten he had that power."

"Souka..." Chopper understood. "He uses the sound waves in his voice to create a sonic energy."

"Looks like it's going to be a long distance battle." Nami clenched her weather pole. "Usopp!"

"W-wakatta!" They both stood their ground as Nami whirled her pole to create a rain cloud while Usopp aimed his water balloons at Kabamaru. "Fire!!" Usopp released and managed to hit the man, making his skin sizzle.

He yelled out in pain. "What?! Water balloons?!"

"Next one's coming for your head!" Before another one could hit him, Kabamaru yelled out another sonic wave and deflected the balloons, splashing everyone else instead.

Amelia cried out in surprise. "I-It's not working!" She looked up at Nami's cloud and panicked. "N-Nami! Your cloud!"

She looked up and noticed the sonic waves were blowing the clouds away, forcing her to starting completely from scratch. "N-no!!"

The men stood back up and dusted themselves off. "Kuso..." Sanji lite himself another cigarette. "He's gonna be a pain to deal with."

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Ah. So let's kick his ass as soon as we can."

Lacy slowly opened her eyes and as soon as her vision adjusted she recognized her nakama. "Z...Zoro! Luffy!"

"Lacy!" Zoro smiled, relieved she was alright. "Hold on, we're coming!"

"IJust try!" Kabamaru smiled, blasting another sonic wave at them.

Almost in unison, the three of them dodged the attack and ran in different directions. Knowing they couldn't get close to the cyborg, they depended on their long distant attacks to do a good enough job. Luffy kept firing his stretched limbs at the man while Sanji whirled his legs around, slicing the air across the room. Zoro was doing a similar job, only he was aiming for Lacy's shackles using his swords. On the first shot he broke apart the chains, including the other prisoners. They rejoiced and thanked them, helping their unconscious comrades out as the Straw-Hat pirates distracted Kabamaru. Lacy landed on her bottom and slumped against the wall in pain. While Sanji and Luffy pushed Kabamaru back, Zoro swooped in and rescued Lacy. He took her to one corner near Nami and the others.

Chopper ran over to them. "Lacy! Daijoubu?!"

She nodded. "Ah... But... I'm having a hard time moving my body... it just tingles like I'm numb..."

"It's from all the electricity you took." He explained.

"Didn't you know about the electricity with your water power?" Zoro asked her.

She looked up at him and smiled, embarrassed. "Of course. But I was trying to find way to use it on him since he's weak against water. I had to keep trying, no matter what..."

Amelia caught up to them. "Usou! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Zoro gave the blonde a soft smile. "Reckless as always."

"Eh?" Amelia looked at Zoro and felt saddened by his smile towards the other woman. "Reckless? How about stupid?! We have to think of a way for her to--"

"She's weak. There's nothing we can do now with her body's state!" Zoro snapped at her. "For now we stick to the original plan and somehow we'll--"

Lacy tried placing a hand on his leg. "iiyou, Zoro. I can still help. Get me a bucket or something and I can pour water into it then we can--"

"He'll just blow it away with his sonic blasts!" Amelia pointed out to her. "It'll be a waste of time!"

"I think I have an idea." Chopper reached into his medical bag and pulled out a round orange ball. "With this."

"A rumble ball?" Lacy asked.

"Sort of. It's a new experiment I've been working on. The rumble ball works on Zoan type fruits, while this one I was trying to enhance Logia type fruits."

"So you're saying it'll boost her water power tenfold with this ball?" Zoro asked. He nodded.

"C-Chotto matte!" Amelia interrupted. "What are these?!"

"The rumble ball is something I created to give Zoan fruit users -you know, animals- four other enhanced forms that will last about three minutes. This will hopefully work the same, only for Logia -natural element- fruit users."

"But if it's never been tested, they why risk giving it to her?!"

"Give it to me."

Everyone looked at Lacy. "Are you sure?" Zoro asked.

She nodded. "I'm helpless in this state. If it can help me boost my strength, then we'll have a better chance at beating that guy. With my water pressure to stand against his sonic waves, I'm the only one that can beat him now. I owe him an ass whipping anyways from before." She smiled.

Zoro nodded. "Give it to her, Chopper."

"It hasn't even been tested though!!" Amelia kept arguing against them.

They ignored her and Chopper popped the ball in Lacy's mouth. She bit down on it and waited to feel something.

"Did it work?" Zoro asked.

"I'm not sure..." Chopper said. "Lacy?"

She blinked. "Wait..." She felt herself growing stronger with every second. She suddenly jumped to her feet and allowed the power to take over her body. She felt so much stronger than before and she smiled. "I-Incredible! I feel... I feel fantastic!"

Amelia gasped. "It was a success?!"

Chopper smiled. "We won't be 100% sure until the medicine's worn off. There could be side affects later."He gave her a serious look. "Lacy, remember that you have about three minutes before the power runs out. It's all your body can take for now."

She nodded and walked over to the cyborg. She felt herself grow bigger and transforming into a different being. She didn't feel like herself anymore, but someone else who knew how to own the new power surging within her. Her entire body turned into a water being, with long flowing hair that resembled a wave and her arms stretched out with water dropping like waterfalls, creating a cloak-like shield for her nakama. Everyone ran for cover near the doorway and watched as Lacy's body of water take up the majority of the room.

Kabamaru gazed upon the flowing woman and gritted his teeth. "You managed to regain your strength?! Impossible!!" He opened his mouth wide and blasted a powerful sonic wave at her with all his might.

As soon as the blast reached her, the water was thrown back, but only slightly. Lacy pushed the power back, having a powerful geyser fight against the sound wave. Kabamaru yelled louder and harder, making the sonic wave's power grow. Lacy only mimicked and increased her geyser's power with ease. Her eyes glowed a bright blinding ice blue like diamonds hidden in the depths of the ocean. She finally released all that she had, sending the sonic wave and Kabamaru back against the wall. The geyser engulfed the metalic man, making him scream and squirm in the water. When it finally released him, he was nothing more than a pile of old rusted metal with circuits sticking out and sizzling.

Lacy slowly glided back down to the floor and solidified back to her normal self. As soon as she was completely herself again, she collapsed to the floor.

"Lacy!" Zoro ran over to her and held her in his arms. Everyone else joined them.

"Lacy! Lacy!" Luffy and the others yelled.

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times before answering with a little smile. "Whoa... That was cool..."

Most of the crew laughed. "You're crazy!" Nami smiled.

Chopper gazed at her. "That was incredible! And it looks like there's really no side effects other than being exhausted!"

"Well... I was pretty beaten up... from before..." She huffed.

Zoro smiled. "You don't have to talk anymore. Let's get you out of here."

"Where's Robin-chan?!" Sanji cried, reminded everyone of their other missing nakama.

Lacy pointed at the stairway. "I heard she's down... on the second floor..."

Sanji and Chopper ran down to rescue Robin while the others stayed behind and took their time to walk back down the stairs. Zoro helped Lacy to her feet and became her support. She tried taking a few steps, but stumbled and almost fell. Zoro caught her and sighed.

"It's no use. Let me just carry you."

"I can... still walk."

"Stop being stubborn and just let me do it." He scooped her up in his arms and started walking down the stairs.

Amelia caught up from behind and walked beside him with a jealous look on her face. "Hmph. Not bad, I guess..."

"Is that... a compliment?" Lacy asked. "If it is, I'll take it."

Amelia was puzzled by her smile. "Why are you so happy?"

"I'm just happy I got to... help everyone out. I finally... was of use in a battle."

"Urusei." Zoro said softly. "You're always helpful."

"I mean being the center... the solution... to a battle." She giggled.

Amelia poked Zoro in the shoulder. "Ne Mr. Swordsman, when that Sanji guy gets back you can hand her off to him and carry me instead~."

He blinked at her. "Why would I do that?"

She pouted. "Aww come on~. I'm really light. Honest~."

"But she's injured."

"Pretty please~?"

"U-um... no, sorry..." Lacy, even with no strength, found enough to glare at him and turned her head away with a loud "hmph!" sound. He looked down at her and frowned. "Why are you mad now?"

"Nothing."

They reached the bottom of the stairs where Robin, Sanji, and Chopper waited for them. Robin was ok with a few scratches from her electric barred cell, but that was all. She was glad to see that Lacy was alright and heard from Chopper how she was able to single handily defeat Kabamaru with the help of Chopper's great new invention.

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They arrived back at Amelia's village where all the once enslaved citizens rejoiced and celebrated their freedom at last. They thanked the Straw-Hat pirates and invited them to join in on their party. Happy to accept, the crew ate and sang and danced with everyone. Chopper tended to Lacy, who was resting on Fuyu's bed that she offered. Other than the side effects of the new rumble ball leaving her body exhausted, Lacy only had to rest to regain her strength. Thankfully she wouldn't have to wait long, but she hoped it would be sooner since Zoro and Amelia was no where in her sight...

Zoro was drinking some grog on a bench near the bonfire while everyone danced around it. Amelia walked up to him and gave him a big smile. "Wanna dance with me~?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm not really a dancer."

"Aw come on. I'll bet you're good~.

"No, really I'm not. But thanks."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him onto his feet. "Give it a shot then~!"

"W-wait!!"

She dragged him by the bonfire and tried to get him to dance with her. He only looked awkward and danced only when she waved his arms around. "See?" She said. "You're doing fine~!"

"I-I gotta go." He broke free and walked towards Fuyu's house.

She ran up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't go!"

"Let go of me."

"Please don't go! You promised you'd listen to what I had to say after the fight, remember?"

He sighed and turned around. "Alright fine. What is it?"

She blushed and clutched her chest. "T-this isn't easy to say... so I'm just going to come out and say it..."

"What is it then?" Zoro began to grow impatient.

She threw herself in his arms. "I-I... I like you! I really like you!"

He just stood staring at her and raised an eyebrow. "You like me? As in, _like _like me?"

She nodded and turned even more red. "Y-yes! And I was hoping you'd like me back! I-If not, then maybe you can grow to like me. W-what do you say?" He pulled her off of him and started to walk away. "M-Mr. Swordsman!"

He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Sorry. But I love someone else."

"You mean that blonde girl? Lacy?! D-doushite?! Why her?! What makes her so special?!"

"You don't understand." He said calmly. "She stole my heart long ago. I'm sorry, but no one else can ever replace her nor the feelings in my heart for her. Lacy is Lacy. That's what I love and that's what I want."

Tears began to swell in her eyes. "She... really means that much to you?"

He smiled and walked again. "You have no idea."

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Zoro entered Fuyu's room and found Lacy propped up at the window gazing outside to the villagers celebrating. She noticed Zoro walking through the doorway and started at him, stuck her tongue out at him, then angrily turned her attention back out the window.

Zoro sighed and sat on the bed next to her. "Ok. Cards on the table, Lacy. Why are you so mad? What did I do?"

"You really don't know?" She said in an angry tone.

"If I did I wouldn't be asking, would I?"

She turned her body to face him and crossed her arms over her chest. "One word: Amelia."

"Amelia? What about her?"

Her eyes widened. "You seriously have no freaking clue, do you?! You can't tell me you were completely oblivious to her cheesy flirting and hitting on you this entire time?!"

"What?! THAT'S what you've been so pissy about?!"

"I'll get pissy if I want, dammit! She was clearly hitting on you and you acted like it was no big deal!"

"It wasn't!"

"Well it was for me!! You could've at least tell her off right at the beginning, but no! You kept going along with her and didn't even think of how I might of felt about it!"

"And how exactly do you feel about it? Huh?!"

She threw her hands on the bed. "I'm mad as hell, Zoro!! Isn't that obvious?! You're oblivious to another woman is flirting with you and I'm pissed!"

"You know how I am!" Zoro mentioned. "You should've told me at the beginning!"

"I thought I didn't have to!"

"Just because it was another woman?!"

"Do you want me to say it Zoro?! Fine! I'll say it loud and clear! I'm jealous, ok?! Happy?! I'm j-e-a-l-o-u-s!!" She covered her face with her hands and started to cry out of frustration and anger.

He stopped for a moment, smiled, then sat on the bed next to her. He wrapped an arm around her and leaned against her. "Baka. And here I thought you didn't care."

"Of course I care!" She sobbed. "I love you and I'm jealous of all the women around you!"

He held her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Lacy, you know no one could replace you in my life."

She looked up at him. "I know, but I wish you would show people you're mine so I know you're thinking of me..."

"I know and I'm sorry I wasn't thinking."

"Gomen, Zoro..."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For being like this... I was just frustrated and... being childish..."

"I-It's my fault."

They looked over to see Amelia entering the room with an apologetic expression on her face and her hands folded in front of her.

She walked over by them and smiled at Lacy. "Hontou ni gomenasai, Lacy. I noticed you had feelings for him, and I took advantage of that and rubbed it in your face. I like him a lot, but I never knew you two already had an unbreakable relationship. I am really sorry..."

Lacy wiped her eyes and tried to make herself look better. "It's alright. I was letting my emotions get the best of me. I'm sorry for picking stupid fights with you."

"No no! You had every right!" She waved her hands. "I hope we can put this all behind us and be friends?"

She held out a hand and smiled. "I'm willing to do that."

Amelia smiled and shook her hand. "Arigatou!"

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Next day, the crew said their good-byes to Amelia and the villagers and sailed off toward another unknown adventure waiting for them. Lacy spent the entire day sleeping to recover her strength. By the time night fell, she was awake and almost 100% again. Zoro walked into the room after training and showering and noticed her crying softly on the bed again.

"Doushita, Lacy?" He asked, sitting next to her.

She wiped her eyes, embarrassed. "I-It's nothing... I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"About yesterday and everything... I was thinking about all the fangirls..."

"Fangirls? You mean for One Piece?"

She nodded. "I realized that I'm just like everyone else. I'm a horrible jealous little fangirl. Just like everybody else..."

"You're not like them at all. You're kind and generous and most of the time you keep to yourself so you don't create enemies."

"Exactly. I don't want to become a petty jealous person when I already am."

"Lacy..."

She looked up at Zoro. "I'm always jealous Zoro, of every woman around you. I notice them staring at you and smiling at you, but you don't even notice because I feel like I'm watching them all like a hawk. Even girls from your past I'm horribly jealous of. One big example is Kuina from your dojo. i'm sorry, but I hate her! I'll keep an open mind about a girl until I find out their connection with you and I grow to hate them; the kind of hate where I refuse to be reasoned with and I don't even want to try to like them. Like I said, I'm a horrible possessive jealous person!" She pulled the sheets up and fell back onto the pillow, her back facing Zoro. "Forget it. I'm just rambling..."

He laid on the bed as well and embraced her from behind. "Once again, you blame yourself for things I don't care about."

"You should..."

"But we're the same."

"What do you mean?"

"You are also oblivious when it comes to men."

"I-I am?"

He nodded. "It's the same thing: we walk down streets and I see men eying you and it burns me inside. Even meeting guys in your world and on our passed adventures I noticed them flirting with you and watching your every move and you don't notice. It's not your fault because like me, you're not showing yourself off for anybody. But men take the bait anyways wanting and yearning for you." He tightened his grip on her. "I feel like I just want to run up to every single one of them and kick their asses! I want to lock you away so no one but me can ever see you. Every man I see is a potential threat."

"You don't trust me?"

"Of course I trust you! It's _them _I don't trust!"

She hugged his arms and smiled. "I didn't know. Thank you, Zoro. I had no idea."

"Well, now you know that I do think of you. You just didn't know it then."

She kissed his arm. "Looks like we're both petty and jealous around others, aren't we?"

"Hn. Looks like it."

"And you don't care that I'm like that?"

He turned her head so she looked back at him and kissed her on the lips. "Not one single bit."


	27. Ch26: Mihawk Returns: Part 1

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE ]] **_These next few chapters might be a little dramatic and far fetched, but I thought this would be an interesting story to try and do. So if it seems weird to you all, just go with it, ok? It's for fun after all. :) Enjoy the next few chapters with this~!!

* * *

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**CHAPTER 26: Mihawk Returns (Part 1: Eagle-eye's Proposal)**

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The Straw-Hat crew had been out at sea for a couple weeks when it was once again time to port and restock on supplies; no thanks to Luffy eating almost all the food. They came to a large town that seemed to settle right on the shore. They found out it was the only town for miles, so no matter what, they were stuck there. Robin discovered that this town was well known for sheltering Gold Roger when he stopped for a short visit. Luffy was ecstatic and wanted to know more and told everyone it was time to stay for a few days. Lacy and Zoro wanted their privacy and took the chance to get themselves a hotel room for the two of them. With all the teasing, Zoro grabbed Lacy and left almost immediately after docking so he didn't have to put up with their harassment. After checking into their room, Zoro and Lacy messed around for a little bit with their privacy before going bed after the long tiresome journey.

Morning came, and Zoro got up before Lacy and jumped in the shower. Just then, there was a knock at the door. After a while of no one answering and finding the door unlocked, 2 men helped themselves in.

"Zoro anegi! Where are you?"

"Over here!" A man wearing a green trench coat called over his partner wearing a blue jacket and black sunglasses to the bedroom. "I found him!" There was a large lump hiding under the sheets, but Zoro's shirt stuck out a bit over the side.

"Zoro anegi~!!" They pulled back the sheets to find a little blonde girl sleeping while wearing Zoro's shirt. Even though the shirt was big on her, it was up from tossing at night and was revealing a piece of her underwear. She opened up her eyes to see two drooling strangers leaning in close for a better look.

"WAAAAAAH!! PERVERTS!!!" Lacy unleashed a powerful water geyser from her body and nailed the two men against the wall with a loud thud.

Zoro came running out of the bathroom in his pants and a towel wrapped around his neck. "What's all that noise?!" He found Lacy standing over the two unconscious men and she began to panic.

"Waah! Zoro! Gomenasai!! I think I killed them! I think I killed Johnny and Yosaku!!"

"Nani?!"

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Johnny and Yosaku, Zoro's pirate hunting buddies back before he became a pirate himself, later came to and was invited for breakfast.

"I'm so sorry! I thought you guys were peeping at me! It was a reflex."

"That's alright. It was our fault for surprising you like that." Johnny rubbed the back of his head.

"But... how did you know our names?" Asked Yosaku. "We aren't well known in the Grand Line and we've never met. At least I don't think..."

"It's a long story... To put it simply, she knows a lot about everyone through... connections." Sighed Zoro.

"Souka..." Johnny paused a bit, then a smile spread wide across his face and he held up his fists. "Zoro anegi! It's been a long time! How have you been?"

"Ah... Ok, I guess. How did you know I was here?"

"We saw your ship at port and asked Luffy anegi where you were and so we came here!"

"Souka?" Lacy asked.

"Heehee! So Zoro anegi, who's the babe wearing your shirt?" Snickered Yosaku, scooting closer to Lacy. She felt a chill run down her back and leaned towards Zoro a bit. She remembered how they were a little bit perverted back on the Baratie with Sanji, and she knew darn well they enjoyed seeing her with her underwear revealed earlier. She was still in his shirt, but she threw on some shorts so they would pull a fast one on her. Just in case.

"Shut up, Yosaku!" Zoro snapped. "She's... erm..."

Lacy turned and looked at Zoro. She could tell he was nervous and struggling to find the right words. _He's never said 'I have a lover' before... _Lacy thought. _After all, he's Roronoa Zoro. He doesn't have a lover, or socialize with girls for that matter._ She bowed her head to their guests. "I'm one of his friends -erm, nakama, Lacy. I'm a new member to Luffy's pirate crew. Yoroushiku."

Zoro gave Lacy a surprising look. She smiled back at him and he knew she was trying to help him keep his reputation. He smiled back and placed his arm around her. "No. She's my lover."

"L-L-L-LOVER?!?" Johnny and Yosaku held their faces and screamed with shock. "Roronoa Zoro having a lover?! It's... it's... unheard of!! It's unimaginable!!"

"O-OI!!" Zoro sweat dropped.

Lacy looked up at Zoro's face and smiled. She was happy that he was willing to say "lover" with confidence. I guess he wasn't as proud of his reputation as she thought he was. "So! Is anyone hungry for omelets and bacon?" Lacy stood up from the table.

"OOH! Me please!" Yosaku waved his arm.

"Me too!" Johnny chimed in.

Lacy giggled and turned to Zoro. "And what about you, Zoro?"

"Sure."

"Yosh! I'll leave you guys alone for now! I'm sure you three have a lot of catching up to do!" As she walked behind Zoro's chair, she leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Arigatou." He smiled as she ran into the kitchen and winked back at the boys.

"So, she's your lover, huh Zoro anegi?" Asked Johnny. "Quite the looker! Nice choice!" He gave Zoro a thumbs up.

"Omae..." Grunted Zoro.

"Yeah! Did you see the size of her breasts? They're huge!" Yosaku pointed out.

Zoro's face turned red with embarrassment. "Will you guys shut up!! I'm sure that's not the reason you came here!"

Johnny and Yosaku's faces turned serious. They stared at Zoro for a moment. "Sou. There was a reason for us coming here. It's about... Eagle-eye Mihawk."

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Lacy was rummaging through the dishes, trying to get all the ingredients out for the omelets. "Oh, shoot! There's no bacon. I wonder if the guys will mind..." She walked back towards the table and stopped short as she heard the name "Mihawk" from the room. She hid behind the corner of the kitchen and tried to listen to the guys while holding onto a tray of cups she had in her hands.

"Mihawk? What about him?" Asked Zoro nervously.

"Have you seen him at all since our last encounter with him?" Asked Johnny.

"No. Why?"

"Well, he's back and he's looking for you."

Zoro stood up. "He's what?!"

At the same time, Lacy froze with fear. _He's back?! For Zoro?!_

"Yeah. We encountered him while traveling in the Grand Line." Added Yosaku.

"Well?! What did he say?!" Zoro slammed his hands on the table.

"Well, "Johnny began, "we came across him about a week ago. He asked if we were your companions - I guess he sort of remembers us from last time. Anyways, he wondered which island you were on, we told him we didn't know, so he said when we find you, he'll be here! In this very town, waiting for you!"

"NANI?!" Zoro began to sweat. His eyes grew blank and he stared at his fists on the table. "He knows I'm here?! How?!"

Johnny nodded. "He's part of the Shichibukai, remember? They keep up top date on threatening pirates like the marines. The Straw-Hat kaizokudan are one of the top strongest pirates, so keeping tabs on you isn't hard, especially for a Shichibukai. This is the only island for miles, so with your recent status in the marines and bounty list, locating you through process of elimination wasn't too difficult."

Zoro gulped. "You're kidding me...! Shit..."

_He's going to be here?! _Lacy yelled in her mind. _Impossible! He can't! Not after Zoro and I were doing so well..._

"He said one last thing before we parted." Yosaku finally spoke again. "He said he would like to challenge you again at the west port next Wednesday at noon."

"Next Wednesday? But from the time you spoke with him to now, that's only... 3 days!!" Johnny and Yosaku nodded.

_CRASH!_

Everyone turned to look by the kitchen entrance and found Lacy picking up broken pieces of glass from the spilled tray of cups. "O-oh! Sorry guys! This is embarrassing... I tripped. Eh heh... I'll get some more cups, so your coffee will be just a little while longer." Lacy apologized.

"Are you alright?" Johnny asked, getting up from the table.

"I'm fine. They're all big pieces. Nothing I should cut my finger on." She quickly gathered all the pieces carefully and turned her back to the others, stopped, then turned around again. "Why is everyone looking at me like that? Is there something wrong?" _I'll play innocent. I can't let them know I heard everything..._

"Ah! Erm, no! Nothing!" Yosaku finally said. "Here! Lemme help you~!" He pranced over towards Lacy and grabbed the tray out of her hands and trailed off into the kitchen.

"Arigatou." She smiled. "Are you sure everyone's ok? You all look worried. Especially you, Zoro." She asked again.

"We're alright. Just discussing matters from the past." Replied Zoro, sitting back down in his chair.

"Well, ok..."

"Lacy aneki~! What can I do to help?" Yosaku called her from the kitchen.

She blinked. "Lacy... _aneki_?!"

Johnny nodded. "Un! You're with Zoro anegi now, so it's appropriate to call you that, Lacy aneki."

Lacy giggled and walked back into the kitchen. "Hai hai. Sou desu ne~."

Minutes later, Lacy came out with a tray of new cups filled with coffee followed by Yosaku carrying 4 omelet plates.

"Enjoy~!" Lacy said. She sat down next to Zoro and poured some ketchup onto her omelet. When she placed the bottle back on the table, she noticed the bounty hunters were staring at her with disgusted looks on their faces. "What? What's everyone looking at?"

"WHO PUTS KETCHUP ON THEIR EGGS?!" They shouted in unison.

Zoro pointed a thumb at her while he ate. "She does. If you think that's weird, you should see her drink milk with ice in it."

They stuck out their tongues. "EEEW!!"

"Hey! It's good!" She giggled and was about to take a bite, when she noticed Zoro staring at her with a serious expression. "Zoro? You've been acting weird. Are you alright?"

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"You know _exactly_ what I mean."

"Oh! You noticed I added onions in your omelet and not mine. I don't like onions... Don't you? I'm sorry! Want me to make you another omelet without onions?"

There was a second of silence before he sighed and answered. "No. This is fine."

"Sorry. I'm a little nervous right now, if that's what you mean." Zoro looked up at her. _I knew it! _He thought. "But I can't help it. After all, I was peeped at by these two!"

"Hey! We said we were sorry!" Johnny and Yosaku jumped. Lacy giggled and everyone continued with their meals.

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After breakfast and about an hour or so of talking, Johnny and Yosaku left on some pirate hunter business and said they'd see them later. Lacy and Zoro got dressed and were finally ready for the day.

"So," started Lacy, "what do you want to do today? Want to go explore the town?"

"Actually..." Zoro picked up his swords and placed them in the slots on his haramaki. "I was thinking about training today."

"Why?" She knew exactly what he was going to train for, but wanted to hear the answer from him.

"I haven't trained in a long while. I don't want to get rusty or get behind in my training. So I'm going to spend the day working out if you don't mind?"

"N-no! Not at all!" She lied. She didn't know how long she could keep up the innocent act around him. But at the same time, he wasn't really lying to her. He actually hasn't trained in a long time when she thought about it. But instead of telling her the real reason why, he was just beating around the bush from the real answer. "I'm going to look around town and maybe find some new outfits and artifacts."

"Alright. I'll see you later this afternoon." He walked out the door and walked towards where the Going Merry was docked so he could grab his weights.

Lacy slouched on the bed for a while, replaying the Mihawk conversation over and over again in her head. She was so upset she wanted to cry, but at the same time she was furious. Why? Was it because she remembered how Mihawk hurt and humiliated Zoro the last time they fought? Was she being selfish? Or maybe she just doesn't want to see him dead...

She finally had the strength to get up and walk down the streets of town. She went into a few shops and found a couple of pirate-looking outfits, but she still couldn't get her mind off of Zoro and Mihawk. Just then, she heard a couple of joyful voices calling her name down the street.

"Lacy~! Hey!" It was Nami, along with Robin and Chopper. "What are you doing here all alone? Where's Zoro?"

"He's training." She sighed.

"Training?! What a lug head! He can't even spend some time with his girl!" Lacy tried to laugh, but her lungs felt like they were going to crush her ribs. "Well, want to join us then?"

"Huh?"

"We're going to a hot spring later!" Cheered Chopper.

She finally found the strength to smile. "Really?! A hot spring?! I've always wanted to go to one!!"

"You've never been to one before?" Robin asked.

Lacy stuck out her tongue shyly. "No. We don't have anything like that in my world, except in Asian countries. But that's on the other side of the world compared to where I lived."

"Then lets go buy some supplies and go!" Said Nami.

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The hot spring was better than Lacy had ever imagined. It was like sitting in a spa. But it felt more like bath water. Well, it _is_ a bath after all, but she thought the water would be warmer more than refreshing. She sat in the water with a towel wrapped around her chest, covering most of her body. Nami, and Robin did the same while Chopper lounged in the men's bath, where Usopp caught up to them and joined the little deer so he wouldn't be alone. Lacy noticed a couple women walking by them completely naked and this made Lacy blush. It was completely natural for them to do that, but this was the first time she's ever been around a public bath full of hundreds of strange naked women. _Just pretend it's like swim class..._ Lacy thought, trying to make herself more comfortable. _Picture everyone just changing in the locker room after swimming in chlorine and taking a shower._ This helped a little bit, until Nami came up to her.

"C'mon Lacy! Let's stretch out our legs a bit!" Nami took off her towel and swam away from the group a little bit then turned back to look at Lacy still sitting. "What's taking so long? Let's go!"

She just froze. Seeing Nami naked was the last thing on her list to see. It wasn't the fact that it was Nami naked, it was the fact that it was a naked woman when she wasn't use to this sort of natural luxury. She began to turn red.

"What's wrong? Oh!" Nami remembered when Lacy said she had never been to a public bath before. "So this is making you uncomfortable? Well then, we'll just have to fix that!" Nami giggled and tried to take off Lacy's towel.

Lacy tried to hold onto the towel for dear life. "N-no!! I-I...!" She remembered her ability and turned into water in Nami's hands and glided across the water away from her. Then took form again.

"No fair! You're suppose to get comfortable!" Nami pouted. She smiled and attacked her again.

Lacy couldn't take it any longer, and she yelled. "NO!! S-STOP!! I DON'T WANT TO!!"

Nami froze and took a couple steps away from her. "I was just..."

Lacy placed a hand over her mouth, not realizing she shouted so suddenly. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to yell... B-But, I've never gotten naked in front of anyone before, and I'm... I'm kind of..."

"Of what?"

"A-ashamed of my body..." She knelt her head.

"What?! You're joking right?! You have a wonderful figure for your age! Are you saying you're fat or something?"

"N-no.. though that would've been my reason until I started training seriously. I just... my body's different from everyone else's..."

"How's that?"

"I... I dunno... It's hard to explain for me..."

Nami came up and slapped her hands on Lacy's shoulders. "Listen, it's ok! Until you're ready, lemme know!"

"Thank you, Nami."

She smiled deviously. "And besides, you have been naked in front of someone before."

"Eh? Who?"

She winked. "Zoro of course~."

Her face went back to being red. "N-Nami!!" Robin and Nami just laughed.

After the hot springs, Nami challenged Lacy to a quick game of ping pong, unaware of Lacy's game abilities. Lacy beat her all 6 times before Nami got mad. Their "quick game" turned into 3 hours of play time. But Nami never won once. This was frustrating to her since half way through they started placing bets and she kept losing her money to Lacy. Robin on the other hand managed to beat Lacy, but only because she cheated and used her fruit ability to have multiple hands holding paddles across the table. She giggled and apologized to Lacy and they changed back into their clothes and left. They parted at last as they went to their own motels.

When Lacy went back to her room, Zoro was nowhere to be found. She ate already back at the hot spring, so she wasn't hungry. She left a note for Zoro saying there was left over stir fry in the fridge if he was hungry. She knew he was still training.

--------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Lacy woke up from a bad dream and found herself alone in the bed. She looked at the clock and it read 12:30am. She got out of bed and changed into pants and put on a jacket. She went outside and walked to a cliff beside the sea. She knew Zoro would be training some place private with an ocean view with fresh sea air. As she guessed, he was standing on top of the cliff, swinging his enormous weights across his body as he counted. She hid behind a nearby tree and stared at him as he trained.

She scanned his sweaty masculine body. His muscles bulged with every swing as his necked knotted from what she predicted was a tough training. She noticed his scar across his chest and abs and remembered that dreadful battle against Mihawk. She remembered clearly how she first reacted to that scene on tv. She remembered cringing and letting out a shriek of surprise. She remembered getting upset and tried rooting for him out loud at the tv.

She noticed her eyes starting to water. Normally she'd be anxious to see this battle in the anime, but it was getting to her more since this was reality now. Everything was affecting her in real life. She quietly ran back to the motel without Zoro noticing her and went back to bed. It took her a while to get to sleep, but the more she tried to sleep, the more she thought about Mihawk's arrival approaching.

Still unable to sleep an hour later, Lacy heard Zoro come in and turned on the shower. When he was done he got into his pants and laid down next to her. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep with her back facing him. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek and pulled the covers over him. She was surprised he went to sleep so fast; she could hear him snoring and even then her worry could not be eased. She sighed and tried to sleep again. Eventually, she cried herself softly to sleep.

--------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Lacy woke up a quarter to noon and found Zoro gone. Training again, she presumed. She got dressed and decided to hang out at the beach that afternoon. But while she was walking along the beach in bare feet and her sandals in one hand, she saw Sanji waving at her.

"LACY-CHWA~!"

"H-hey Sanji!" She covered up her emotions again and played innocent. "How are you?"

"Fine, but what are you doing here all alone? Where's the big marimo?"

"He's training. He said he's getting rusty."

"Ano yarou! Leaving a lady to walk along the beach all by herself! Uncalled for!!"

Lacy giggled. "Yeah well... I'm fine. The beach is nice. I miss dipping my feet in it though..."

"Lacy-chan..."

"Heh. I'm fine. Just wanted to go out for a stroll along the beach. What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Me? I was collecting some fish in the sea market for the next journey. There's a lot of interesting big fish there! I found some rare delicious ones for you ladies to eat~!"

"I'll look forward to it!" She smiled at him.

He smiled back and patted her on the head. "Need company?" He offered.

"Thanks, but I'm good. I just need some alone time."

"Well, alright. Just come to me if you need anything and I'm at your service~!"

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

They said good-bye and she continued walking along the beach. Before she knew it, it was already sunset. Time was going by way too fast for her. She would hope that it was going to be a long night. She sat down and buried her feet in the sand. The sea breeze felt refreshing and the sun was warm as it set over the ocean. It was the perfect sunset. Well, almost. She wished Zoro was there to hold her...

Nami and the others eventually found her and invited her to a buffet. She decided to go along with them, but she seemed even more depressed than ever as she dreaded tomorrow's arrival.

When they arrived at the buffet, it was an Asian seafood buffet - Lacy's favorite. But while everyone was pigging out, Lacy just stared at her plate, which only had a couple sushi rolls, some rice, and a tiny shrimp tempura.

"What's wrong, Lacy?" Nami asked.

"Nothing. I guess I don't have much of an appetite."

"Don't have an appetite?! For seafood?! Seafood BUFFET?!" Lacy nodded. "Are you alright? You're always in the mood for food, especially a buffet. Oh hell, you're as bad as Luffy when it comes to food! Something's wrong, I know it!"

"I-it's nothing! R-really! I'm just... not feeling good, I guess. I think I'm going to go to bed." She sat up and thanked Nami for the invite and walked out of the restaurant.

Nami stared at Lacy's pathetic plate. _Something's not right here..._

--------------------------------------------------

Johnny and Yosaku met up with Zoro on top of the cliff. They stared at his intense training in awe before they interrupted him. "How's it going, anegi?"

Zoro stopped and looked at them. "If only I could have more time to prepare..."

"You'll be great Zoro anegi! You're much stronger than you were the last time you faced him!" Yosaku said confidently.

"Not strong enough I think..."

"Have faith, Zoro anegi! I know you can do it! Anyways, have you told Luffy anegi and the others about tomorrow?" Asked Johnny.

"No. If they know, they know. I don't care."

"But you have to tell them! They _are_ your nakama!"

Zoro sighed. "Fine. I'll tell them tomorrow morning. I know Luffy will want to know for sure out of all of them. I just need some more training time."

"What about Lacy aneki?" Asked Yosaku.

He paused for a moment. "Huh?"

"You know, your girlfriend. You told her, right?"

He turned his head away "...Not yet. I'll tell her tomorrow."

"But... why?!" Jumped Johnny.

"Out of everyone, she'll try to stop me with all her might if I tell her."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say, I know exactly how she'll react to all of this. She knows me better than anyone ever will. In this situation, she knows what I'm going to do, how I'll react, and my final decision. And I know she'll try to stop me. She's seen my last encounter with Eagle-eye."

"She has?! How?!" Yosaku asked curiously.

"It's too long to explain. But she's witnessed all of my battles."

"So, are you ever going to tell her? I think she has the right to know tonight."

He sighed. "I know. But, it'll break her heart, I'm afraid she won't come."

"She won't come?" Asked Johnny.

"I know she won't want to. And she wouldn't want me to go, but I need her there in order for me to win."

"Why's that?"

"She'll give me the encouragement I need. Seeing her there will insure my victory. Hn. I guess you could say she's my good luck charm."

Silence fell, until Zoro lifted up his face and looked at his friends, who where crying their big baby eyes out.

"THAT'S SO SWEET, ZORO ANEGI!!"

"OI!!"

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy went straight to bed. She was too depressed to take a shower or even eat something. It was strange how she wasn't hungry when she hadn't eaten all day. She's never even felt this way before. She knew Zoro was much stronger than before, but she couldn't help feeling as if something's going to go wrong tomorrow; and it made her feel sick. She sat on the bed and noticed one of Zoro's shirt laying over the side of the bed. She picked it up and stared at it in her hands for a while. She then rubbed it softly against her cheek and breathed in his wonderful scent. It's smelt like sea salt and sweat. The smell of her Zoro. She took off her clothes and put on his shirt and crawled into bed. As she laid there thinking about all of the wonderful times she spent with Zoro, she hugged herself and clutched her shoulders.

A few hours later, Zoro came home, earlier than the night before. "Zoro?"

"Oh, you're here?" He asked, walking through the doorway.

She sat up. "Yeah, I went out to dinner with the others, but I wasn't hungry, so I came home early."

"Souka." Zoro put his swords down and walked into the bathroom. Lacy heard the shower turn on and she went back into her own world again, until Zoro came back out with his pants on and him drying his hair with a small towel.

"So, how was your training?" Lacy finally said. Her chest felt tight and her throat was dry. She was a little afraid to talk to him.

"Good. What did you do today?"

"Just walked along the beach. Nothing special."

"Alone?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Oh. I thought you'd be with Nami or someone."

"No. Just me."

"Souka." He claimed into bed, but Lacy faced her back to him, unable to face him.

"Do you... um... want to go out to lunch tomorrow. Say, noon-ish?" She asked, with her back still to him.

"Uh... I'm afraid I can't."

"Why not? More training?"

"Yeah... something like that."

"Oh... well, we only have a day left in this town. I was really hoping we would spend some time together. You know, some alone time?"

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

"Oh..." She sighed. She knew she had to make him crack somehow. Was he not going to tell her? Who was she? Chop liver?! She sat up with her back still facing him.

"Lacy? What's wrong?"

"Stop the act, Zoro! I'm going to as well."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" She began to shake. "Tell me what's going on tomorrow!"

"I'm not cheating on you if that's what you think–"

"That's not it!! Mihawk! What are you going to do about Mihawk?!"

Zoro fell silent. There was a long pause before anyone said anything. "So... you knew?"

"Of course! I have ears like a bat! I heard you guys clearly at the table the other day about it."

"Nani?"

"I-I wasn't ease dropping, if that's what you think. I just overheard you. You're not going to face him, are you?"

"You already know the answer, Lacy."

"WHY?!" She couldn't control her voice anymore. Her throat felt dry and sick so she didn't know if she was either talking softly or yelling. But she'd prefer yelling to get her feelings across. "Why do you have to go?! Why now?!"

"It's a thrown opportunity for me. I can't let this pass me by, you know that."

"But... he almost killed you last time! He might just want to meet you so he can finish you off!"

"...You... don't have confidence in me? Is that it?"

"N-no! I just have a bad feeling that... Well, call it woman's intuition or whatever, but I don't like this feeling! Something's going to go wrong... I know it..."

Zoro stared at her back for a moment, not knowing how to respond. He knew she would feel this way, but he didn't expect her to be this upset and worried about him...

"You think the same thing's going to happen again, right? Like our last fight?"

She nodded. "You have no idea how much that battle upset me. I don't want anything like that to happen to you again."

"Listen to me, Lacy." He reached out an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders and held her close to him as he used his other arm to lift his body up. "I understand how you feel. But I promise you, I _will_ win. I swear it!" He rested his forehead on the nape of her neck with his eyes closed.

She sat there and shook a bit, wondering how she can stop him, knowing at the same time that it was an impossible task. "If... you say so."

"You will be there, right?" She said nothing. "Lacy?"

Her head fell. "I'll... think about it."

"I need you there."

He wrapped his other arm around her and held her tight. She responded by placing her hands on his arms and squeezed. She knew he wanted her there to cheer him on and witness his to-be victory, but _she_ didn't want to be there. She couldn't shake this terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Come on, let's get some sleep. It's... a big day tomorrow." He said.

"Un..."

He forced her to turn around and hugged her as they fell back on the bed. She didn't resist nor say a word. She was waiting for him to hold her forever. She wanted to freeze time and stay like this forever, but was afraid to tell him thinking it was selfishness. So they lied there together on the bed, just holding each other for what little time they had left. But Lacy was afraid to look at Zoro, so she focused on his chest and gently traced his scar with her fingertips. He didn't seem to understand how much she feared him dying and leaving her alone in the world...

--------------------------------------------------

The next day came too quickly for Lacy. She felt as though she was waking up to a normal day at her normal 11:30 time. But when she opened her eyes and blinked slowly a few times, she realized what was going to take place that day. Her eyes popped open and she sprung out of bed to check the time.

9:45am.

She sighed. She was glad it was still early in the morning. There was still time. She could hear the shower running and figured Zoro wanted to shower before his match. Normally, she would join him or start making breakfast and get dressed. But she didn't. She slowly walked towards the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and sat at the table. She still felt sick and refused to get ready as if she was expecting something exciting was going to happen today.

Zoro walked out of the bathroom fully clothed and noticed Lacy sitting alone at the kitchen table. "You're up early." He teased.

"So are you." She gave him a little smile. "I couldn't fall back asleep."

"I'm sorry." He walked over and sat down across from her. "Not hungry?" She shook her head. "Lacy, I–"

_Knock! Knock!_

Zoro walked to the front door and opened it. Lacy could see around the corner that it was Johnny and Yosaku. _Probably here to escort Zoro to the port..._ she thought.

"We need to be early so we can set up the place. After all, we don't want the citizens to get involved, right Zoro anegi?" Johnny asked.

"Wakatta." Zoro replied. He turned back towards the kitchen. "I'm leaving, Lacy." He shouted back at her.

"Ok." She shouted back with no emotion in her voice whatsoever.

"Just a minute, guys." He walked up behind Lacy and turned her around to face him. He then got down on one knee and pressed a hard kiss on her lips. After a few moments, their lips parted and he stared deep into her eyes. "You're going to be there at noon, right?"

"I..." She looked down. "Maybe."

"Please. I need you there. Please come?"

She paused for a moment, struggling against his gaze. "S-sure. Ok."

"Great." He hugged her and rubbed her cheek as he stood back up. "I'll see you there then." He waved good-bye and she heard Johnny and Yosaku teasing him as they walked out the door.

She buried her face in her hands as small tears rolled down her cheeks. "What am I going to do?..."

--------------------------------------------------

Noon was approaching quickly. Zoro told the others on his way to port about his match and they were anxious to see it. Luffy was ecstatic while Sanji was eager to see him get beat again. Chopper and Robin just simply asked who Mihawk was and what was going on. Usopp explained the Shichibukai man to them and the last situation from their encounter. He even explained it to Nami, who had stolen the Going Merry at that time back to her hometown.

"Where's Lacy? Surely you told her about this, right Zoro?" Asked Nami.

"Of course. She'll be there."

He continued on to port and waited there impatiently for Mihawk to arrive. The chimes of the town square's bell could be heard from the docks as it struck noon. Just then, a tiny boat came floating close to the island with glowing green candles on each corners.

"Aitsu...!" Zoro swallowed hard and his heart raced. He got to once again face the strongest swordsman in the world. He felt stronger than ever and stood alone in front of his boat.

"Roronoa Zoro." Mihawk finally spoke.

"Jaqulles Mihawk."

The man smiled. "Are you prepared for another defeat?"

"I think this time _you_ will be defeated!"

"We'll see about that."

Zoro tied his bandana on his head and drew his white sword. Mihawk, like before, drew out his tiny knife which was used as his necklace. Zoro glanced over toward where everyone was watching. He scanned the crowd several times. _Where's Lacy...?_

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Lacy was dressed now, but walking along the streets of town alone. No way was she going to go to port. And witness what? Zoro's humiliation? His death? She had confidence in him, but it's Mihawk he's fighting. The strongest swordsman in the world. Was Zoro... really strong enough to face him now...? Her held hung low and she stared at her feet. Her stomach growled; she hadn't eaten anything for almost 2 days, she guessed it was time to eat at least something to fill the emptiness in her gut. She entered a little beverage shop and ordered a smoothie and a cookie. It wasn't really a meal, but it was a start and she wasn't completely feeling right to eat. Just then, Johnny and Yosaku ran down the street and passed her.

_What are they doing here?_ She wondered, _aren't they suppose to be watching Zoro's match?_

"AH! Found her!!" Johnny and Yosaku ran over to Lacy's table and stopped in front of her as they tried to catch their breaths.

"What are you two doing here? Where's Zoro?"

"Haa..haa.. H-he's at his match with Mihawk!" Huffed Johnny.

"Why aren't you there to watch him, Lacy aneki?" Asked Yosaku.

She stared into her smoothie and waited a few moments before responding in a low tone. "I... don't want to see it. I've got better things to do."

"Usoo! What's better to do than seeing Zoro anegi's match?!" Johnny slammed his hands on the table. She just sat there, still staring into her drink. He thought back when Zoro told them the importance of Lacy being there for his match. How she was suppose to be his good luck charm and give him hope and confidence. "Why won't you see him?!"

"You wouldn't understand..."

Johnny slammed his fists on the table again. "Kuso! He's in trouble and he needs you!!"

She stood up quickly and spilt her drink. "Nanda tou?! He's in trouble?! What's going on?!"

"He's in a tight spot!" Yosaku explained. "He was doing great, but Mihawk seemed to have worn him out already! And it's only been 15 minutes into the match!"

"So soon?!"

"Well, he surprised Mihawk by becoming stronger, but I think Eagle-eye's becoming more serious with the match and may show his true strength at any moment now!"

She hesitated. _Kuso...! Mihawk's only toying with him, forcing him to use up all of his energy in the beginning. Or is he testing Zoro's limitations? Endurance? Strength? _She promised herself she wouldn't watch him. She didn't want to cry, especially in front of Zoro. But then again, being the curious blonde that she was, she was awfully tempted to know what will happen. "Take me to him!"

The three of them ran towards the port where Lacy found Zoro gasping for air on one knee while Mihawk stood a few feet in front of him. He attacked Mihawk with full force and yelled. She could tell by his body language that he was pissed. His movements were sluggish and wild. Unpredictable, true, but wild none the less. But no matter what he tried, Mihawk fought back with a stronger force, knocking Zoro down every so often.

"CHIKUSOO!!" He yelled.

"Zoro!! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Zoro jumped and turned to see Lacy yelling at him. "Is _this_ how a swordsman fights? In blind fury? Pathetic! C'mon! You're better than this! You know damn well getting pissed over nothing will just make you a fighting idiot! Think! Calm down and think about how you're going to defeat him!" She gasped soon after. She didn't realize what she was doing. She remembered yelling at the tv screen whenever a character was fighting blindly about what they should really do, and now she yelled that to Zoro in reality. She gripped the railing, hoping her words would suffice.

He stared at her in shock, not because she was insulting him, but because she was right. _She... said the same thing I tell my opponents: thinking about how to defeat the enemy. What the hell am _I_ thinking? It's true what she said. Rage will just make me swing my swords around like a baboon. I need to relax! Just think of him like all my other enemies where I always try to find a weakness...  
_

He stood back up and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and thought about how he was going to beat Mihawk. He opened his eyes and spread apart his legs and crossed his arms over his head with his swords facing Mihawk. _That stance...!_ Lacy thought. _It's his Running Bull technique!_ Zoro ran towards his opponent and missed. But he soon recovered and he tried his _Oni Giri_ against Mihawk, who was caught off guard with Zoro's quick movements.

_He faster than before, _Mihawk thought. Zoro swung his sword at him again, but was blocked. As they stood there for a moment with their sword and knife connecting each other, Mihawk glanced over to the crowd and eyed Lacy. _This girl... she yelled at him and his movements changed. What's his connection with her to make him so spirited suddenly?_ They jumped away from each other and stared. He felt a shot of pain on his right shoulder and noticed he had been cut.

"You're better than before, Roronoa Zoro."

"Of course! Did you think I was relaxing the whole time since we last fought?!"

"I tip my hat to you. You managed to singe my skin. You will have the honor of being once again cut by my black blade."

"It would be such an honor to fight you blade against blade now."

"Before we continue, tell me. Who is that girl?"

Zoro's heart skipped a beat. _What does he want to know about Lacy?! _He wondered. "Why?"

"You've changed your style after she appeared."

Zoro gulped and a sweat drop slid down his forehead. "U-un... I suppose so."

"YIs thaat all you're going to tell me? Fine. I shall leave it alone for now. Let's continue then, shall we?"

They fought for what seemed like hours to Lacy. She stared closely at their match and never dared to blink; she was afraid she might miss something if she did. Their movements were so fast, it was hard for her to keep track of them. Every time Zoro was cut or fell or cried in pain, she gasped and held her chest, waiting for the worst. But she would exhale once again when he would get up and fight back. She was relieved to see that this battle was a major improvement compared to their first battle. It was longer and less bloody.

They have only been fighting for another 15 minutes when Zoro's moves became sluggish again. But he wasn't mad this time, he was simply tired. _Come on Zoro... _Lacy thought. She knew he would never ever give up until he breathed his last and every last ounce of energy was out of him. His stamina was incredible, but it seemed as though Mihawk wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"Zoro!!"

He fell to the ground hard this time with a deep cut running across his side with blood staining his haramaki. He slowly got back up onto his feet and panted hard. She knew he was reaching his limit, but the question was: how much longer will he be able to face Mihawk?

"Yowai. You're still too weak to defeat me, Roronoa Zoro."

"NANI?!" Zoro was pissed again, but still fought the same. He continued to attack and his swings seemed to look heavier and heavier with each stroke. Mihawk took advantage of his condition and swung around him and sliced him across the belly. Zoro spat blood and dropped his swords as he fell to his knees, holding his stomach.

"ZORO!!!!" Lacy screamed, her face twisting in terror.

"ZORO ANEGI!!!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted.

ZORO!!!" Luffy yelled out his nakama's name, but clenched his fists til they bled as he tried to stay put and allow their fight to play out.

"Like I said," Mihawk spoke again, "you're still weak. Though I admit, you've become much stronger and better. You're an even worthier opponent than I could ever imagine."

"I... won't be... defeated... not here... not again... not ever!" Zoro coughed up blood and gasped for air. Lacy tried to jump over the wall they were all standing on, but Johnny held her back.

"No, Lacy aneki! Don't! You can't interfere with Zoro anegi's fight!"

"HOW CAN YOU SAY SUCH A THING?!"

"He's gotta do this on his own!"

Her body tensed up in his grasp. _He's right,_ she thought. _It's a swordsman fight, there's honor and pride and all that involved in this. _This was the feeling she feared the past couple days; the feeling of Zoro's defeat. But she couldn't stand the fact that she had to just sit back and watch this.

Mihawk stood over Zoro once again and raised his sword over his head. "Roronoa Zoro. This is your defeat!!" He swung down to slice Zoro in half when all the tired man could do was lie on the ground and wait for death.

"ZORO!!! YAMETTE!!!" Lacy couldn't take it anymore. Zoro was going to die. How was she going to live without him? He was her whole life.

She transformed into water and slipped out of Johnny's hold and quickly formed a thick layer of water acting as a wave between Zoro and Mihawk. His sword swung into the water instead and used some force to slice it. Once his sword completed it's swing, Lacy reformed and fell before Mihawk, dropping to her side. With the strength and energy Mihawk had used to slice through the water, it caused the wooden platform they were on to slice in several places, leaving Zoro on one cut platform and Mihawk and Lacy on another a few yards away from him.

Lacy panted for air and yelped in pain as she held her bloody arm tight in one hand. She managed to get up onto her knees, but wanted to lie back down as she noticed Mihawk standing over her now. The only thing she could think of was her death.

"Please... don't kill Zoro..." She said between breathes. "Spare him, please. I beg of you..."

_This woman again... _he thought. "Do you realize what you have done here?"

She yelled again as she felt a shot of sharp pain run throughout her entire right arm. "I-I do. And I'm sorry... I know Zoro will be incredibly mad at me now, but I need him. He's become so much stronger since you last fought him, but for now, he's still no match for you. I... realize this is a swordsman match and so I understand the honor behind all of this, but it's hard to stand by and watch my whole world shatter before my eyes. So please, spare him and take me if you wish instead. I've dishonored a swordsman's fight and I deserve to be punished. But please... let Zoro go..." She hissed in pain and almost fell over again.

Mihawk just stared at her. _What power in such a small girl, _he thought. _I had to use some force into that last swing to slice through the water. Surely another Akuma no Mi user with great potential in this dangerous wide world. Her connection with Zoro is strong indeed... _"Very well." He finally spoke. "What is your name, girl?"

"La... Lacy. Lacy Joseph."

He looked back at the kneeling swordsman. "I have more fun every time we fight, Roronoa Zoro. I'm looking forward to our next battle together. Surely you will give me another fantastic fight. Perhaps even win?" He turned his back to them and started to walk away. "Young girl, take care. I will do well in remembering your name. You seem to have great influence in his battles." He then disappeared back onto the ocean in his boat.

Everyone ran over to the docks and yelled out to them from land as Zoro and Lacy still sat on the floating platforms.

She looked over her shoulder. "Zoro. I'm... I'm sorry."

He never spoke. He didn't know what to say. He was pissed that he couldn't defeat Mihawk again and for Lacy interfering with their match. But at the same time, he was confused about what to do for Lacy's intentions. He saw her stand up, squeezing her arm more than ever now as the blood continued to run down her arm, leaving a pool of blood at her feet.

"Lacy–!" As he tried to respond to the sight of her injury, she jumped onto the small logs sticking out of the water bordering the shore. She almost slipped, but managed to make it without touching the water.

"Gomenasai..." She ran into town and disappeared.

"Lacy!!" Nami and Usopp gave the others a look showing they were going to go after her, and followed. Luffy and Sanji ran over to help the stranded Zoro and tossed a rope over to him. He grabbed a hold of the end, and they pulled him into shore.


	28. Ch27: Mihawk Returns: Part 2

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**CHAPTER 27: Mihawk Returns (Part 2: The After Battle)**

---

"Are you alright, Zoro?!" Luffy asked.

"ZORO ANEGI!!" Johnny and Yosaku stood around Zoro with tears flowing down their faces and wondering what to do. Chopper treated him immediately as the rest of the crew gathered around him.

He didn't know what to do. He refused to say a word, afraid to cry from his second defeat and afraid to blow off the handle. He looked up and stared in the direction Lacy ran. _Why is everything going wrong? This is everything becoming so fucking frustrating!!_ He slammed his fist into the ground and mumbled under his breath. "Kuso!"

No one wanted to speak to him now. They all knew he was upset and was afraid of making it worse. And they wondered whether he was more upset at his defeat or Lacy interfering in his match. They all wanted to know.

Nami and Usopp came back, alone. "We can't find her anywhere!" Nami spoke, trying to catch her breath.

"We gotta find her!" Replied Luffy, afraid of losing his nakama.

"Where do you think she went, Zoro?" Nami asked. He never looked up and kept staring at his lap. "ZORO!" Still nothing. "You're pathetic! You lose a silly match and now you're going to give everyone the cold shoulder?! Even Lacy?!"

"A SILLY MATCH?!" Zoro's head popped up and so did his body.

"Don't talk to Nami-san that way!" Snapped Sanji.

"Shut the hell up!! This was NO silly match! That, for your information, was a match for the title of strongest swordsman in the world! So before you go on insulting someone, you better get your facts straight, woman!!!"

Zoro stomped away from everyone, leaving Nami speechless. She was never there at their first match. She was on her way to Arlong's base at that time with the Going Merry, so how could she have known what Mihawk's title was? Sanji cussed under his breath from the way Zoro talked to Nami like that, but he understood the situation. Luffy stared at Zoro's back, wondering what will happen next. Robin glanced in the direction Lacy ran, and went into deep thought about what to do. In the meantime, Chopper made Zoro sit back down as he continued to treat his wounds.

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She panted for air as her body slouched to the ground in an ally. It was getting dark and cold for a storm coming. What was she going to do? She couldn't face anyone, not with what happened earlier...

"Miss Artist?"

Lacy sat up quickly and was on her guard instantly. But she noticed a tall dark haired woman standing over her.

"Oh.. It's you, Robin..."

Robin sat on a crate next to Lacy and stared at her arm. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"I think otherwise."

"How did you find me?"

She chuckled. "You have a habit of secluding yourself in dark enclosed spaces whenever you're upset. I just looked around is all."

"Just leave me alone, I don't want to cause more trouble. I already made enough for one day."

Robin avoided her last remark. "You should really see a doctor. Let go back and have Sensei-san–"

"I'm not going back!" Lacy yelled and her head hung towards her chest. Tears began to flow down her cheeks uncontrollably. "I'm never going back..."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"I'm too much of a burden to everyone. All I do is get in the way and I'm lazy and selfish and reckless. I'm nothing but an eye sore."

"Is it because you think you get in Mr. Swordsman's way?"

Lacy paused for a moment before replying. "Yes."

"You're wrong."

"What do you know?! I've known everyone their entire lives and they don't even know the half of it! I know their secrets, childhood memories, dreams, desires, everything! Even you! No one knows how I feel because I come from a completely different world! How am I suppose to adapt to this style if I'm too afraid to do so? This is 100% completely out of the norm for me since my world is no where near this dangerous!" She let out a whimper from the pain in her arm. Robin could see her wound more clearly now and noticed a bandana wrapped around the wound to stop the blood. Lacy tried to stand up, but fell as soon as her knees locked.

"You've lost too much blood. You're weak. You need to at least get to a hospital otherwise–"

She thought back to the battle she interfered in moments ago and smiled. "You're right." Lacy stood up once again, leaning on the crate Robin was sitting on. "I am weak. I'm going now. Please don't follow me."

"Miss Artist–" Robin grabbed onto Lacy's arm as she stumbled past her, but turned to water in her grasp. She watched her as she disappeared into the fog.

--------------------------------------------------

It was late. Lacy went to her motel and peeked inside to see if anyone was there. She wanted to gather up her things and sail off towards her home without anyone noticing her. She saw no light in the rooms, and no movements and surely no one was in the bedroom. She sneaked in quietly and when she was about to pick up her backpack, a door shut behind her. She jumped and turned around to find Zoro leaning against the wall with one arm on his side and the other on the door. She didn't say a word, too afraid of offending or upsetting him.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked in a stern voice.

She turned her back to him, afraid to face him. "Nothing." She mumbled.

"Liar. I knew you'd be back here to get your things."

"I was just going to get a head start on packing my things on the Going Merry. We're leaving tomorrow after all, so–"

"Don't give me that crap!" She froze, sensing the anger in his voice. "You were going to leave!"

"S-so? What do you need me here for?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I-I... ruined your moment, so... uh..." She didn't know what to say. She kept her back to him, but the only thing she could think of was how she was going to be punished. She felt a terrible strike of pain in her arm and noticed Zoro had grabbed it.

"How were you going to get around with an arm in this condition?"

"It's not as bad as it looks." Lacy shied away, holding in her cries from the burning pain surging throughout her arm.

"I doubt it." He ripped off her bloody bandana, forcing her to cry out. She could see his facial expression out of the corner of her eye. His face was twisted in shock and his jaw slacked slightly at the sight of her cut. He cleared his throat. "This is a pretty deep cut."

"I know."

"You could have gotten killed."

"I know."

"Damn it, Lacy! Cut it out with the short answers! This isn't a game!"

"You think I'm playing?!" She swung her arm out of his grasp and held it. "So what if it hurts? I have a high tolerance to pain!" She grabbed another bandana out of her drawer on her side of the bed and wrapped her cut. Blood once again began to slowly pour down her arm, soaking the cloth.

"This is a serious injury!" Zoro pointed out.

"Not as serious as yours!"

Zoro touched his stomach, reminding himself of the bandages underneath his haramaki and shirt. "We need to talk." She said nothing, still facing her back to him. "I heard everything you said to Mihawk. I realize you understand what you did and everything, but you should've trusted me. Lacy! Are you even listening to me?!–" He turned her around to face him and froze as he saw tears streak down her face.

"And what would've you done to avoid his sword?! Roll over?! With your stomach already cut open?!"

"I would've thought of something."

"Well, you were cutting it awfully close, weren't you?!" She sounded angry now. But why was she upset at _him_? He was suppose to be screaming at her, not the other way around. She pulled away from him and ran out of the door.

"Kuso... Lacy."

--------------------------------------------------

It was back to hiding for Lacy, or at least finding a spot where she can be alone and undisturbed. _How was he going to dodge his sword at that last moment?! Honestly! Who is he trying to kid?! Zoro, you idiot... _She walked to the ocean and sat in the sand and took in it's smell along with the mixed smell of rain soon to come. She began to cry, but she tried to hold back with all her might. _I'm such a freakin' cry baby!! I'm so pathetic! _Her arm was now numb. She realized she had lost too much blood and had little strength to see a doctor or even care. It hurt so much...

Just then, while Lacy was deep in thought, she heard multiple crunching noises walking behind her. She glanced behind her shoulder, and saw the Straw-Hat gang staring at her, smiling.

"Wha... What are you guys doing here?" She asked, quickly wiping away her tears.

"Robin told us you might be here." Answered Usopp. Robin closed her eyes a nodded with a chuckle.

"Whatcha doin'?" Asked Luffy. She didn't respond, but turned her head back at the sea.

"You know, Robin also told us about what you two talked about." said Nami.

"It's no one's business."

"Well, you're part of this pirate crew, so it is our business." Nami sat next to her and smiled.

"Too bad. I'm not part of this crew anymore, so it's no one's business."

"What do you mean, Lacy-chan?" Asked Sanji.

"I don't want to be in this crew anymore. I want to go home."

"B-But Lacy!" Worried Chopper.

Nami laughed out loud. "So you think that after what you did today no longer makes you a member of this crew? Think again!" She slapped Lacy's back.

"That's..." Lacy stumbled to find the right words. Of course she wanted to stay in their crew, but it would be better if she just wasn't a burden anymore. Watching their adventures on tv may be better for the both of them...

"Oi, Lacy! You're staying our partner forever, and that's that!" Stomped Luffy with a smile.

"Minna..." Everyone smiled at her. She sighed, knowing it was hopeless. No matter what she'd say, they'd refuse to let her be alone. She was happy to have such great friends as them. "A...Arigatou."

"Now! Let's have a look at your arm!" Smiled Chopper. He walked over to her and held out his hoof, to gesture her to show him her wound. She unwrapped the bandana and revealed a deep gash in her upper right arm. Everyone gasped. "Lacy! This is serious! You could get in infection with this type of slash without treatment!"

"Hn. I know..." Lacy fell onto her side.

"Lacy-chan!!" Yelled Sanji, running over to hold her in his arms.

"W-What's wrong with her?!" Asked Usopp.

"She's lost a lot of blood in her right arm. I either need a blood transfusion, or treat this wound and get her to eat sugar re regain her blood right away!" Explained Chopper.

"Now that I think about it... she hasn't eaten a thing for the past 2 days I believe!" Nami said.

"That's right!" Chopper remembered. "Quick, does anyone remember her blood type?" No one responded. "Darn it... I remember recording it on my log book on the Going Merry."

"I'll get it! Where is it?" Panicked Luffy.

"No way! You'll get lost! I'll grab it!" Usopp pushed Luffy away.

"It's in the drawer by my hammock!"

After a while, Usopp returned and handed the journal to Chopper. He flipped through a few pages and smiled when he found Lacy's medical information he collected after she shortly joined.

"EH?! She has a rare blood type! And no one in the crew has the blood type to help give her blood transfusion! We'll have to treat the wound first!"

"Will she be alright?!" Asked Sanji.

He nodded. "Eh. She'll be pretty weak for a while. She'll need plenty of rest and eat or drink lots of sugar to regain her blood loss." Chopper asked Sanji to hold her down as he injected her with a needle. He stitched up the wound carefully and cleaned up the blood. "There! That should do it. Thanks to her passing out from the blood loss, I was able to stitch this up with no problems."

A half an hour went by before Lacy reopened her eyes and find everyone standing over her.

"What... happened?"

"Like I said earlier, you lost too much blood." Robin answered her.

"Wow... I've never passed out like that before. Wait!" She glanced at her shoulder and saw a thick bandage covering her wound.

"I stitched it back up for you." Said Chopper.

"S-s-s-stitched?! Oh God..."

"It's ok! You'll be fine. I'll even give you something to knock you out when I take them out."

"Gee, comforting." Lacy tried to sit up and noticed she was lying in Sanji's arms as he sat on her bed back on the Going Merry. "Eh! S-Sanji?!"

"Are you alright now, Lacy-chan?" He asked seriously.

"Yes. Thank you..."

"I'M SO HAPPY!!" Sanji's eyes turned into hearts and trapped Lacy in a hug.

"Ittetetetetetete!!"

"AH! Gomenasai Lacy-chwa!!"

"Heh. It's ok. Thank you, Chopper." Chopper giggled. Lacy then felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Someone's waiting for you back at the motel." Nami winked at her.

"I know..."

"We ran by your place to get you a new shirt since your other one was covered in blood. We found Zoro there."

"Did... he say anything?"

"You'll just have to go there and ask him yourself!" She winked.

Robin stared at Lacy and thought back when she volunteered to help Nami grab a new shirt. She remembered eying Zoro as he leaned against the window pane with his arms crossed while staring off into the darkness. She remembered Nami trying to explain to Zoro of what was happening, and he only stared at her. Nami then yelled at him, thinking he didn't care or maybe she just wanted a response. He turned his back on her, making Nami even more mad. She told Robin they were leaving and that she had a shirt for Lacy and went out the door. She followed slowly behind, and glanced back to see Zoro's position, and noticed his face was upset. She could tell he wanted to do something, but forced himself back.

Robin snapped out of her flashback and walked up next to Nami.

Lacy hung her head and looked as if she was negotiating with herself whether or not she wanted to see him; especially after their last encounter. She tried to stand up, but felt weak-kneed and began to fall when Sanji caught her in his arms.

"Let me make you some food, Lacy-chan."

"I'm fine."

"Stop being stubborn and try to eat. You need to re-gather your strength. It's your fault you have a rare blood type." He teased. Lacy smiled, knowing she had no choice, and Sanji prepared a few desserts for her and everyone to share in a blink of an eye. She ate the desserts willingly as if she hadn't eaten in days; or two to be precise. Satisfied and stronger, she thanked everyone and decided to talk to Zoro. Her arm was feeling a lot better thanks to the drug Chopper gave her, so the pain will be less of a bother.

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy walked back to the motel by herself; she insisted that she'd go alone after her nakama wanted to escort her back. She took a deep breath as she stood in front of the door, then slowly walked in as quiet as can be. She scanned the room a bit while closing the door quietly behind her. No Zoro. She tiptoed into the bedroom and as she thought, found Zoro next to the window.

_Click!_

Zoro glanced over to the door and saw Lacy with her head down and her back leaning against the closed door.

"Lacy." He didn't want to sound excited or relieved for that matter. Though he was happy to see her alright. "So, how's your arm? Still toughening it out?" He grunted.

She shook her head. "Chopper stitched it up for me. I told you it was nothing."

"Stitches?! That's serious, like I _told _you!" She just nodded, not saying another word. Silence fell over the room, and it suddenly grew colder to her. "Listen–"

"I'm sorry." Lacy cut him off. "I'm sorry for this afternoon. I didn't want to stop your fight. I tried to force myself to just watch. But I couldn't, I wasn't strong enough to. I ruined your one moment of victory. I... deserve to be punished. So please... Scream at me, hit me, throw me out, I don't care! I deserve it... You're pissed off, but I understand completely. I'm a horrible person–" Just then, she felt two arms wrap around her and squeezed her tight.

"Baka. You never know when to shut up, do you?" She didn't say anything. "You always have to be reckless."

Lacy began to cry as she tried to hold back her tears. He could tell she was upset when he heard her sniffle.

"Listen to me, Lacy." Zoro loosened his grip and looked at her straight in the eye. "I was upset that I lost the chance to become the strongest swordsman in the world. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I'm not a match for him yet. Thanks to you, I get another chance to make myself stronger to face him the next time. And look." He pulled down his haramaki and lifted up his shirt, revealing his bandages to her. "He didn't leave a scar this time."

She nodded and tried to smile. Zoro grinned and kissed her. She closed her eyes, only to think of how he really felt. She knew he was mad at her and didn't want to admit it. It was all her fault...

After a few moments, their lips parted and Zoro stared sternly into her watery eyes. "Swear to me that you won't run away at all."

"Zoro, I--"

"_Swear _it!"

Lacy stared back into his dark eyes and saw how serious he was. She smiled and nodded. "I swear."

"Swear on your life!"

"Ok! I swear! I swear on my life! Happy?"

"Good. Now let's forget about this and get some sleep. We're leaving tomorrow."

"Yeah... I know..."


	29. Ch28: Final Goodbye

---

**CHAPTER 28: Final Good-bye**

---

It was early in the morning. About 2:30am to be exact, when Lacy woke up. She opened an eye to see if Zoro was asleep and found him snoring and exhausted. She sat up and crept out of bed and threw on some clothes. She quickly and quietly packed her things and tiptoed over back to the bed. She stared at Zoro's wonderful face as he snored loudly in the night. She bent over and kissed him on his warm forehead.

"Farewell, Zoro..."

She crept out the door and ran as fast as she could to the Going Merry and packed the rest of her things, then ran towards the other side of the port. She bought a small boat with the money she had left - leaving only a few gold berries for food and supplies - and stored all her things inside. It was a small boat with a shed on one side big enough to fit one person. The boat itself was big enough to fit maybe 3 people. She grabbed what few supplies and provisions, including a cheap yet fairly new island pose, and set sail. She stared back at the Going Merry as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"It was fun while it lasted..." She said out loud to herself. "I'm going to miss you all and our adventures. See you on the big screen..."

--------------------------------------------------

Morning soon approached, but the sun never came out. Instead, a nasty storm slowly began spread over the town, leaving the sky a dark grey color and the smell of rain ready to come.

Zoro opened his eyes slowly and turned to look over at Lacy, who he soon noticed wasn't there. He popped out of bed and ran out the door in his pants. He scanned the town from where he stood and ran back inside. He stomped around, looking for her belongings, but nothing of hers was there.

"Dammit, Lacy! Why the hell do you always think you're a burden to me?!"

He ran out the door and sprinted towards the Going Merry. Most of the gang was already up and ready to dispatch from the town, when Zoro came storming in with the news.

"I'm going out!" He yelled to everyone.

"Out? Where? We're going to leave within the hour." Nami shouted back.

"Where the hell do you think _you're_ going, marimo head?" Yelled Sanji.

"Out! I'm not sure how long I'll be, so just... wait or something!"

"We can't wait, idiot! The navy may have noticed we're here already! Besides, Nami-san's indicator is set and we can finally leave!"

Just then, Luffy came walking in between the two men and stood in front of Zoro, eying him seriously. "Lacy's gone, isn't she?"

He nodded.

"WHA?! LACY-CHWA IS GONE AGAIN?! WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME, YOU BASTARD?!"

"Zoro," Luffy began, "We'll wait for you. Hurry back, ok?" Luffy gave him a wide smile and added an additional "Na?" at the end. Zoro nodded and ran out the door.

The clouds grew darker, making the sky black. It began to rain normally at first, then grew heavy every minute.

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy was trying to keep herself warm under the little shelter she had on her small boat, which she figured wouldn't last long if the storm got any worse. The boat rocked, and it was hard for Lacy to keep her balance. She felt sick, but tried to keep her breakfast down as she protected her belongings. Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky and the waves grew bigger and meaner.

"Aw, come ON!" She yelled. She fell over onto her side and clenched her stomach. "What am I going to do now..." Her arm began to hurt again, probably from the salt from the sea seeping under the bandages, she thought. The uncontrollable rocking of the boat made Lacy finally lose it. She couldn't stand being in a storm with her tiny boat. Normally she wouldn't mind, but since she ate the Devil's Fruit, swimming was definitely out of the question. The storm got even worse, which Lacy thought was impossible for it to, and the boat almost tipped over, scaring Lacy half to death.

"Please, God. Please! I don't want to die... Someone help me..." Lacy took out her necklace from inside her shirt, the Zoro gave her on her birthday, and held it close to her body. Thinking about the storm, out of all her belongings, this was one she never wanted to lose. As she gripped the necklace, she noticed she could no longer feel her body. Her fingers were frozen and her arms stung from the numbness. Just then, she noticed something in the dark floating on the ocean towards her boat. It was a small ship, but much bigger and less vulnerable to the storm's crashing waves. She saw someone, vaguely, standing over on the side of the ship. A hand reached over the side and yelled out her name.

"Grab on, Lacy!"

She recognized the voice right away.

"Zoro?!" _How did he find me?! _She wondered. _In this storm? Especially when I had a head start?! Impossible! I'm NOT going back! I'm not!!_

Before she had time to even yell back at him, a huge wave crashed on top of her, crushing the boat. Along with everything onboard, she was thrown into the ocean.

"LACY!!!"

Zoro jumped in after her, remembering her ability that prevented her to swim. He couldn't find her under the water, until he saw something float to the top next to him. He recognized right away that it was her bracelet, took a deep breath, and swam straight below it. He swam a good 20 or 30 feet when he noticed Lacy's body sinking lifelessly away from him. His eyes grew wider as he swam as fast as he could towards her. He grabbed a hold of her and swam frantically to the top.

When he resurfaced, he gasped for air and swam to the ship. He climbed over the side, carrying Lacy's body over his shoulder, and placed her gently on the deck. Her face was white as a sheet and her lips were a blue color.

"Lacy!! Oi, Lacy!! LACY!!"

She didn't move nor breathe. He panicked, wondering what to do. He remembered Nami showing everyone how to perform CPR if needed. He remembered that it was gross when Chopper said anyone may have to use CPR most likely on either him, Robin, or Luffy since they were unable to swim. But this wasn't Chopper, Robin, or Luffy. This was Lacy. His true love. His life. His world.

He plugged her nose and breathed into her mouth. He paused and leaned his ear against her chest. Nothing. He pumped her stomach a few times then repeated the whole process over again and again. No movement or breathing. He panicked.

"LACY!! Breathe dammit!! You gotta breathe!!" He pumped her stomach again until a large amount of water finally shot out of her mouth. She coughed and turned over to her side, spitting more water out of her mouth. Zoro waited until she was done, then hugged her tight. "I'm so glad you're alright..."

"Z-Zoro?" She coughed.

He pulled her back and stared at her. "Don't you EVER do that again!! You hear me?!"

She gave him an angry stare."What are you doing here? Why did you come?"

"What kind of question is that? You know exactly why!"

"I didn't want you to come after me! Go away!" She pushed Zoro from her, leaving him speechless and confused.

"What's the matter with you, Lacy?" He inched closer to her, but she yelled.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"

"Lacy, calm down! Tell me what's going on! Why are you acting like this?"

"I don't want to be with you! I'm going home! Now leave me alone!"

Zoro was struck back. "You don't seriously... going home? But why?"

"It's none of your business!"

"My ass it is! Now tell me!" He grabbed her arm and she screamed in a painful way. He quickly let go of her, noticing the blood seeping through her jacket. He remembered her injury was there. "I-I'm sorry. I forgot about that... Now just tell me why you're doing this?"

"Because I can, ok?!"

"That's not good enough!"

"Look! I don't want to be with you! I hate you! Go away!!"

"Hate me?! Whatever happened to 'you'll never leave me'?"

"Well, heart's change. And mine has grown tired of you!"

"That's not true."

"Fine! Believe what you want! But you're just going to have to live with it and without me."

"It's not true."

"Yes it is!! Now shut up and get me to land! Now!!"

Zoro grabbed Lacy and brought her towards him, locking her in a tight embrace.

She squirmed. "Let me go!! Let me go now!!"

"You're such a horrible liar."

"I'M NOT LYING!! LET ME GO!!" She struggled and tried to get out of Zoro's grasp, but kept failing. She never gave up; she tried biting him, kicking and hitting him, but he was stronger and refused to let her go. "STOP IT ZORO!! YOU'RE HURTING ME!!"

"Not as badly as you're hurting yourself!"

"What the hell are you talking about?! I'm fine!! And I don't need _you _to tell me otherwise!"

"Liar."

"I AM NOT!!"

"What makes you think that you'll forget about me that easily?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" She was still struggling to get away from him.

"Do you honestly think you can just forget about me? Or even throw away your love for me?"

"You'd be surprised what I can do!"

"Lacy, let's be realistic here. You said you've loved me for 4 years before we met. Right?"

"So?! It was a stupid fangirl fad I was going through. A phase."

"Then why did you do all the things you did for me?"

"Look, it was a stupid little childish crush! Everyone would do those things when they meet their favorite idol, or crush, or sports player, anyone!! Everyone grows out of them sooner or later! And I've finally grown out of you!! Now let me go!!"

Zoro squeezed her tighter. "Liar."

"Let me–!"

"LIAR!!" He let her go for a second, quickly took off his shirt in the cold wet rain and caressed Lacy in a deep, hard kiss. Her voice was muffled as she tried to get away from him. He finally stopped and locked her once again in his arms tight against his body. "You like this, don't you Lacy?"

"You bastard!! Let me go!! You have no right to–"

"BAKA!! YOU LIKE THIS AND YOU KNOW IT!! SO STOP PRETENDING ALREADY!! YOU'RE BEING STUBBORN!!"

"How do _you_ know I like this?!"

"Oh, stop playing dumb, would you?! I know you better than anyone else just like you know me better than anyone! You blush every time you see me shirtless. You squeal when you see my bare wet chest. You melt whenever our bodies press against each other. You die in my arms when I kiss you and whisper your name."

"T-that's not true!!"

He smiled and spoke in a soft teasing tone. "Then why are your ears hot in the cold rain?"

"They are not!!"

"Liar."

"STOP IT!!"

He grabbed one of her hands and pressed it flat against his chest. "Lacy..."

"LET ME GO!!"

He ran her hand slowly down his chest, having her trace his scar and abs with her fingers. "Lacy, you enjoy this, don't you? You want to touch me."

"STOP!! IT'S NOT TRUE!! LIAR!!"

"Oh? Pot calling the kettle black?"

"SHUT UP!! JUST SHUT UP!!"

"Stop being stubborn. You know you love me. You said so yourself you can't resist me."

Lacy stopped struggling and her body went limp in his arms.

"Lacy?" He pulled her away a bit and saw the tears swelling up in her eyes. "L-Lacy!" She hid her face in her hands. She cried out loud. So loud, he could hear her over the heavy rain. "Oh, Lacy..." He held her gently in his arms like a child.

"I know!" She sniffled. "I know I do!! I love you, alright?! I love you so much it hurts, Zoro!! I can't bear this pain any longer with you not being here next to me..."

"Then why did you leave?"

"I had to! I was in everyone's way!"

"You know that's not true–"

But she cut him off. "Don't give me that! I know I am! Especially to you! I caused you a lot of trouble and I make you mad and I even made you lose your chance against Mihawk!! You're dream, Zoro!! Your lifelong dream and I knew that!"

"It's ok! I'll get another chance. He said so himself."

"Cut the bullshit, Zoro!! You know damn well you were pissed off at me when I interfered! I know what I did was wrong and unforgivable!! I know you were mad and had every right to be!!"

Zoro sighed. "Alright. I admit I was mad at you, happy? That's what you wanted to hear from me, right? Yes I was pissed, but to tell you the truth, I was more upset with myself than at you. You tried to protect me. I was mad at myself for failing and not becoming as strong as I thought I was."

Lacy still cried, finally hearing the truth from his lips, but relieved that he came after her anyways.

"I love you, Lacy." He kissed her again and held her close. She was glad he held her. Zoro knew her like no one else ever will, and she was happy. The fact than he knows her every turn on, her every weakness, her every fetish, made her feel like she was in heaven. "Let's go back," he finally said.

Lacy sighed. She was already set for going home, how was she ever going to face her nakama after something like this? She took in a deep breath and replied. "Alright."

Zoro smiled and she smiled right back at him, then a flash of shock ran across her face. "Oh no! My things!!" She tried to get up, but it was no use. She was too weak to move.

"Rest. You have a fever from the cold. I'll grab what I can."

"But..."

Zoro smiled, threw his shirt back on and jumped over the side. Lacy just sat there, wondering why on the world he'd still risk his neck for her? After all she's done. He came back on board a few minutes later with a few crates and suitcases containing her stuff.

"Did I get everything?" He asked, catching his breath.

"Y-yeah. Just some of my clothes are missing."

"You can just buy more in town."

"Yeah, I know."

The storm was letting up now, the clouds started to clear into a light grey and it drizzled. Zoro's ship -who belonged to a nobody pirate Zoro killed to get Lacy later found out - had a shelter piece like Lacy's only it was bigger and had a mattress and a stand with a lamp sitting on it. With Lacy's indicator, they headed back to Luffy and the others.

Zoro carried and set Lacy down on the mattress. He helped her remove most of her wet clothes, leaving her only in her under garments. He covered her with all the dry blankets he had. He realized there weren't enough to keep her fever down, and thought about using his own body heat to help keep her warm. He climbed into bed with her and held her close from behind. She felt a sense of security with him, but her comfort didn't last long when she suddenly coughed in a violent manner.

Zoro felt her forehead. "Eh?! Lacy! Your fever's getting worse! We gotta get you back quickly!"

"I-I'm fine. I can tolerate it. I can handle anything."

"This is serious! You've never been this sick before!"

"I'll be alright. If I try to go to sleep, I'll be fine. Like I always say: When you're sick and feeling in pain, just fall asleep and you won't feel a thing."

She smiled up at him, but her smile - for the first time - couldn't relieve his worry. He held her head closer to his chest and began to whisper softly in her ear.

"Lacy. Let's get married."

She jerked her head back at him. A rush of dizziness swept over her. "W-w-w-w-wha?! What d-did you s-say?!"

"Let's get married. I want to be with you forever, and marriage will bind us together. That way no one and nothing can keep us apart. I'm going to protect you with my life, as your husband."

Lacy couldn't stop thinking of what he just said. The words buzzing over and over again in her head. _Marriage?! MARRIAGE?! Roronoa Zoro getting married? Unthinkable! But then again, seeing him being romantic or even having a girlfriend is unthinkable as well...! Roronoa Zoro is... asking _me_, to... O-Oh God..._

"What do you say, Lacy? Please become my wife? Let's live our lives together for all eternity! Together at each other's side."

She opened her mouth to say something, when her dizziness got even worse and she passed out in his arms. You could say she fainted from overwhelming shock, but her fever got even worse. Zoro yelled out her name, but she never opened her eyes. Her breathing grew heavy and she began to sweat uncontrollably.

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When they finally reached shore, Zoro carried Lacy off the ship and took her to the Going Merry, where everyone was waiting for them, as fast as he could. As they all came out to greet them, Zoro ordered Sanji to load Lacy's things onto the Going Merry - which of course, he refused to be ordered by him at first until Nami told him to just do it. Chopper confirmed that she'd be ok with plenty of rest and fluids. He also noticed her bloody arm and said her cut was infected. He diagnosed and treated her immediately and sent her to bed.

They set sail towards the next island. Lacy was lying in bed trying to get back to sleep, when she heard someone walking into her room. She pretended to sleep, until someone flicked her forehead.

"Baka. I know you're faking it."

She opened her eyes. "I was only trying to fall back asleep, Zoro."

He smiled at her and sat in a chair he placed at the side of her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Just really tired."

"That's good."

"Um... Zoro?"

"Hn?"

"I'm... really _really_ sorry for the way I acted back there. It was unlike me to do that..."

Zoro flicked her on the forehead again. "Baka. You're always being reckless."

She turned her head away from him.

Zoro laughed. "You take things too seriously! I know you were just trying to do what you thought was right."

"I promise I'll never do that again."

"You swear?"

"I swear."

He moved his head closer to hers until they were nose to nose. "You _swear?_"

"What's with that look?!"

"Last time you swore, you ran away. I take promises seriously and with pride, but for you I'll give you a second chance."

"T-that was different!! I'm not going to anymore! I swear! I swear! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

Zoro patted her on the head. "Ok then. I'll hold you to your promise."

Lacy paused for a moment and stared into his eyes. "Yes..."

"Yes?" He looked at her, puzzled. "Yes what?"

"Yes... I'll marry you."

His eyes widened. "Na... Nani?!"

"I want to marry you. I want to be with you forever. It's my _dream_ to be with you forever! I love you, Zoro."

Zoro began to shake a little and rested his forehead on hers as he held her hand. "I love you too." He then held out two fingers in front of her face.

"Erm... two?" She was confused.

"Two weeks. We'll get married in two weeks no matter what."

"T-Two weeks?! Don't engagements take a long time before the actual wedding?"

"Doesn't matter. I want to be with you now. No exceptions. The sooner we're bound together in marriage, the sooner you're mine. So I'm giving you two weeks to get better."

Lacy was shocked and happy at the same time. It was all too soon for her, and yet she agreed with Zoro and wanted to be his as soon as possible. She chuckled. "Ok. Two weeks, and I'm yours."

* * *

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: ]]**_ Waaaaah!!! The drama just never ends!! XD But I'm glad this had a happy ending~ Don't worry there's still PLENTY more chapters to come; I just meant a happy ending to this situation. :) Off to the wedding planner!! XD yeehaw!!


	30. Ch29: Engagement Announcement

_**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE:]]**_ HOLY SHIT!!! Ok, everyone forget about the last chapter! Erase it for your memories since I totally messed up and submitted a chapter ahead!! ERASE IT FROM YOUR MEMORIES sicne I'm modifying stuff anyways! crap crap CRAP!!!!

* * *

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**CHAPTER 29: Engagement Announcement **

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It was a bright new day for the Straw-Hat pirates. The sun was shining, birds flying in a clear blue sky, the ocean calm, simply a beautiful day. Everyone was going about their own business, when Lacy walked onto the deck with a huge sandwich in her hand.

"LACY-CHWA~!! You're better~!!" Screamed Sanji as he swooned over to her.

"How are you feeling?" Asked Robin.

Lacy jumped away from Sanji's wild arms and walked towards Robin. "I'm feeling great! My arm is doing better and my fever's gone."

"It also seems as though your appetite is back." She giggled.

Lacy giggled back and held up her huge sandwich. "Yup! I really did miss food." Her smile soon faded and dropped her head slightly. "Ne... Robin. I'm... I'm sorry for the way I treated you back in the ally that one night. I was a real jerk."

"It's quite alright. You were having personal problems. I knew how you felt and I'm perfectly fine with it." She smiled in reassurance and went back to reading her history book.

"Thank you. So... what are you reading?"

"Nothing I think that will interest you, I'm sure."

"Try me, I'm curious."

"Well, it's about ancient Egypt and the story of Osiris and his brother–"

"YOU'RE READING ABOUT THE TIME WHEN OSIRIS WAS BETRAYED BY HIS BROTHER SET AND MURDERED HIM THEN THREW HIM INTO THE NILE WHERE ALLIGATORS TORE THE BODY TO PIECES THEN HIS WIFE ISIS WEPT AND FOUND MOST OF THE PIECES AND BROUGHT IT BACK TO ANUBIS, THE GOD OF MUMMIFICATION WHO PUT HIM BACK TOGETHER AND MADE HIM THE GOD OF DEATH AND ISIS THE GODDESS OF DEATH WHILE THEIR SON HORUS, WHO WAS REALLY RA'S SON - THE GOD OF THE SUN - TOOK OVER THE KINGDOM?!?!"

Robin stared at Lacy for a long while in shock, not knowing what to say. Her reaction was stiff from Lacy's over excitement. "Er... yes. H-how did you know about it?"

"I absolutely LOVE learning about Egypt~! It's one of my favorite countries! I'm pretty much a history geek when it comes to Egypt and its legends! And not just Egypt, but all legends in general from around the world!!"

"Really?" She could hear a tone of interest in Robin's voice.

"Really! If you ever need help, I'm your girl!"

She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

"Wait a minute... how did you get a book on Egypt when that country doesn't exist here?"

Robin turned a page. "I bought it in town back when we first met you. I saw a book store and thought about reading up on your history."

"Well just so you know, I'm a big history reader like you. So if you need to know anything or have any questions, just ask. What have you read up on so far?"

"The Civil War, the War in Vietnam, both World Wars... that's about it so far."

Lacy hung her head. "So basically you read the horrific inhuman parts of our history...?"

She nodded. "Eeh. It's very interesting. No wonder you sometimes have trouble trusting people; they can easily betray you."

Lacy nodded and let Robin go back to reading her book. She looked around for any sign of Zoro, until she remembered his training area. She jogged around the back of the ship and, sure enough, find Zoro training with his huge weights and his stomach still wrapped in bandages. She stood still, not wanting to break his concentration. He looked hypnotic in his swinging rhythms, with his muscles bulging and his neck knotting. He stopped and looked over to see her cheeks turning red.

He laughed and dropped his weights. "You'll never change, Lacy."

She snapped herself out of her trance and noticed she was blushing. She slapped herself on the cheeks to shake the embarrassment and walked up to Zoro. "S-so, what's up?"

"Nothing. How are you feeling?"

"Much better! And my arm's healing nicely. Chopper says it'll leave a long scar on my shoulder. Isn't that neat?!"

"If you say so..." Zoro sighed. He knew she loved scars, especially mean looking ones. Having her like his scars was one thing, but seeing scars on her just wasn't the same.

"So... have you told the others?"

"About what?"

"About us getting married? We have to tell them eventually."

Zoro grunted and rubbed the back of his neck. "They're going to act stupid and be annoying if we tell them."

"Oh c'mon, Zoro! We gotta tell them!" She stared at him for a while until she broke into another wide smile. "I get it! You're afraid to tell them because this isn't like you, right?"

Zoro's face began to turn red. "N-no! I'm not afraid of anything!"

She laughed. "It's true! You're the one blushing now! It's fine. I mean, this isn't like you anyways and it's unimaginable for you to do something like this. If you want, I'll tell them."

"What? Really?"

"Of course! I've watched you enough times on tv to know how everyone will react. But no matter who tells them, they'll still tease you."

Zoro grunted. "Damn bastards..."

Lacy giggled. "C'mon. Let's go tell them~!"

"Wait! Um... Let's tell them later this evening."

"Why?" Zoro scratched his chin with his forefinger. "Heh heh! I see, for mental preparation, right?"

"Nani?! No!! It'll just be better is all!"

She giggled again. "Ok, whatever you say. We'll do it after dinner, ok?"

He nodded.

Evening came faster than they both thought. Before they knew it, Sanji was calling out to everyone to eat.

Everything looked great. They were having a little seafood buffet. Sanji made various sushi dishes, oni giri rolls, fried rice, marinated shrimp pieces, and more. Everyone chatted about past adventures, new adventures to wait for, and what they'll expect on the next island. When dinner finished and Sanji and Usopp cleared the plates, Zoro and Lacy looked at each other. He scooted closer to her and squeezed her hand under the table. She nodded to him, gulped, then took a deep breath.

"U-um... Minna? There's... something I - we want to tell you all."

Everyone stopped chatting and turned their attention to Lacy.

"You see, um... as you all already know, Zoro and I have been together for a long time... and um.... well... We..."

She was having a hard time telling them. She thought it would be easier to tell them, but it was hard to find the right words without everyone freaking out. Zoro squeezed her hand again. She looked up at him and smiled as a sign of confidence. She calmed herself down and took another deep breath.

"Ok. Zoro and I... are getting married." She couldn't help but smile from ear to ear when she said it.

Everyone stared at them for a long time in shock. Zoro and Lacy had sweat drops and were frustrated with the silence. They wanted someone to say something... anything! Just to break the silence.

"NANIIIII?!?!?!?!?" Everyone yelled at once, making the 2 of them fall over from the tension. "MARRIED?!?!?"

They both nodded.

"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!" Usopp and Chopper screamed.

"MARRIED?!" Luffy screamed right after.

"ZORO AND LACY-CHWA TOGETHER?! I DON'T THINK SO!!" Sanji panicked.

"KAWAII~!!!" Squealed Nami. Robin just giggled.

Lacy looked at Zoro. "Well, they seem to be taking it well, ne?"

Zoro slapped his hand on his face. "Oi..."

Sanji grabbed Zoro by his shirt collar. "EXPLAIN YOUR SELF, BASTARD!!"

"C-calm down, Sanji!" Lacy said.

"Sanji-kun!! Let him go!! This is suppose to be great~!" Yelled Nami. She then turned to Lacy. "Congratulations, Lacy!"

She blushed. "T-thanks."

"So, tell us what's going to happen?" Asked Robin.

"Well, we honestly don't know..."

Nami clapped her hands together. "AWWW~!! This is so cute~! How did he propose?"

"Nani?!" Zoro gave her an awkward look.

"Yeah, how did you do it? Did you get down on one knee during a romantic dinner? Or under the stars on the deck with the sea breeze blwing in her hair?"

"No! I just asked her! What goes on in your head, woman?!"

"WHAT?! That's not even romantic! No candle lite dinner? No roses or wine?! Zoro, you're lame!!"

"OI!!"

Lacy waved her arms in front of them. "P-please, you guys! It's really ok with me! Trust me, Nami. He _was_ romantic in his own way and I loved it!"

She pouted. "Well, he should have at least got down on one knee for you..."

Zoro mumbled under his breath. "Kisama..."

"You can't get married before me, baka yarou!! That's unimaginable for you!!" Sanji pushed Zoro.

"That may be true, but I'd like to think of it as a dream come true." Commented Lacy. This stopped both Zoro and Sanji in their tracks in awe.

"Aww~!! That's so sweet, Lacy!" Squealed Nami. "So, when's the wedding?"

"Less than 2 weeks." Zoro said in a straight forward tone.

"NANI?! You idiot!! That's not enough time to prepare!! You're NOT getting married on the Going Merry, THAT'S for sure! We need to get her a dress, you a suit, flowers, and alter, a priest, and–"

"That's too much work." He mumbled.

"BAKA!! This is her wedding too, you know! She deserves the best!!"

Lacy blushed. "T-thank you, Nami. But we don't have any money. So how are we to pay?"

Nami stood up. "I'll help you there!"

Zoro laughed. "Yeah right! You'll just have us pay you back tripled the amount and with interest!"

Nami stomped on his foot. "This is different! You only have to pay me back half of what it'll cost."

"I'll help too." Volunteered Sanji with a smile. "You won't hire a better chef than me."

"Me too." Robin joined in. "I can collect the most beautful, exoctic flowers for the bouquets and decorations."

"ME TOO!!" Yelled Luffy, but Nami hit him on the head.

"You just try to stay out of everyone's way!!"

"We can help with building and setting up everything~!" Usopp and Chopper said together.

Lacy hugged Zoro. "There. You see? That wasn't _so_ bad, was it?"

"Maybe for you!" She giggled and smiled at him. Zoro couldn't help but smile back at her. He wrapped his arms around her. "Whatever..."


	31. Ch30: The Wedding Part 1: Planning

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**CHAPTER 30: The Wedding (Part 1: Planning) **

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The Straw-Hat pirates finally reached land once again, but lost a lot of time. Zoro swore that no matter what they'd get married in two weeks. It had been a week and 5 days since he proposed to her, and all the girls were panicking; all except Lacy.

"Oh my God!! We're never going to make it in time! We should've been there by now!" Nami yelled, pacing the girl's room.

"W-we'll be ok. It's really not that big of a deal." Lacy reassured her, sitting on the bed.

"Not that big of a deal?! Are you crazy?! This is HUGE!! It's a _wedding _for crying out loud!!"

"All we really need is a dress, tux, and some flowers, right?"

"Yes! But you need _more_ than that! We need decorations, an alter, a preacher - everything!"

"Ne, Miss Artist?" Robin was leaning against the dresser, looking out the window. "What kind of dress do you want?"

"A dress? Well... um... I never really thought about it much. I never thought I'd get married to tell you the truth."

"Well, you need to know! We're going shopping as soon as we reach land!" Exclaimed Nami.

"W-we are?"

"That's a good idea. We should plan what to do for the wedding until we reach land." Suggested Robin.

Lacy shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I never realized how big this was for you two."

"Well of course! You're our friend!" Nami smiled at her.

"Well... there _is_ this one dress I've always wanted... er, made. I doubt there's a dress like it in the world."

Nami's eyes lite up. "Really?! What does it look like?"

Lacy took out a piece of paper and a pencil. As Robin and Nami gathered around her, she was almost done sketching the dress. It was white - of course - with the sleeves draping over her shoulders. It had long sleeves that were a see-through material. It had a corset that shaped her body to her waist, then fanned out a bit - but not a puffy look, just spread out a bit. The dress was long and covered her feet, with a silk blue pattern along the bottom. The entire dress - according to Lacy - was either silk or satin (she couldn't decide). Her hair was already short, so she'd just smooth it out with a little flip at the bottom to give it enough style with her bands hanging in front. She didn;t draw any earrings, but drew a silver necklace instead with a snake-like diamond pattern in the middle.

Nami's eyes glittered. "Oh my God, Lacy! That's so gorgeous!! So you _have_ thought about your dream wedding!"

"Well, a guess a little bit. But who would ever think I would get married? I mean, all of my friends would agree with me on this. And to Roronoa Zoro?!"

Robin laughed. "Yeah. _That's_ for sure."

"Hey!" Nami began, "let's give everyone a job to do to get the wedding together! That way with the amount of time we have, everything will get done faster!"

"Like what?" Lacy asked.

Nami crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she thought about it. "Like... Robin! You can be in charge of the flowers and decorations! And Sanji can be in charge of the food, Usopp can make us an alter or at least find us one, and so on~!"

Lacy gave her a wide smile. "That sounds great~! Let's do it then!"

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Finally, with less than 48 hours to prepare for the wedding, the Straw-Hat pirates reached land. With Nami in charge, everyone went to work immediately. The boys took care of Zoro while the girls took care of Lacy.

"I-Is this necessary?"

Lacy stood on a platform in a wedding dress surrounded by women while Robin and Nami observed her.

"Of course! This is a time for you to be pampered!" Nami said.

"Then... why all the women?"

"You need to be fitted and cared for, of course!"

"But, I _hate_ this dress."

"Why?! It looks great on you!"

"Maybe to _you!_ But I don't like it." She couldn't help but glare at the dress the whole time. It reminded her of Cinderella's huge wedding dress.

"Well, then what do you want to wear?"

Lacy lifted up her dress and walked around the store for a while until another dress caught her eye. She walked up to it and gasped. It was very similar to her dream dress with some differences. It was a silk material that hung off the shoulders and see-through long-sleeves with a think piece of thread connecting the shoulder to the sleeves. The shape reminded her of her prom dress; it fitted all the way to right above the waist and fanned out slightly the rest of the way down. The bottom was covered in diamond studs and glitter - which she didn't like too much, but it was better than what she was wearing or anything else she found in the store.

"I want this one~!!"

Nami grabbed the price tag. "WHOA!! This one's really expensive!"

"WHAT?!" She grabbed the tag and felt sick once she scanned all the zero's. "Why... WHY must I like all the expensive clothes!" She dropped down hard on the bench near the dressing rooms and covered her face with her hands. "This sucks!"

Nami sat down beside her and rested her hand on her back. "Listen Lacy, we can get it for you. So why are you getting upset?"

"What are you thinking?! It's really expensive and you flipped when you saw the price! Besides, we don't have enough money."

"Yes we do!"

"Well, it's too much. I'll just get another dress and–"

Nami jolted up from her seat. "Get another one?! Too much?! What are you talking about?! This is your _wedding!_ Weddings are expensive and besides, it's a once in a lifetime thing! Doesn't it look a lot like the dress you've always wanted?"

"Well... yeah, but–"

"No buts! We're getting it for you whether you like it or not and you _are_ going to wear it without complaint! Got it?"

Lacy slightly smiled at her. "O-ok."

Nami laughed. "There! Now let's get going! Besides, I can get the celrk to knock down the price, no problem~."

"You can? How?"

She winked. "Don't you know my style by now? With my looks, price can be very negotiable~! We have no time to waste~! Let's go Robin! ...Robin?"

Nami and Lacy looked around the dress store for their friend, but soon learned from one of the workers that she had left to run some errands. They shrugged and -with Nami's enormous luck- bought the dress as they talked about shoes to buy for the dress.

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"Ooh! Ooh! You should get this one~!" Luffy held up a bright orange tuxedo for Zoro and the others to see.

Everyone turned to him. "FOR THE LAST TIME, NO!!" Luffy pouted and put it back where it belonged.

"What color do you want?" Usopp asked Zoro.

"I guess black."

"You guess?" Sanji slapped his hand on his face, "Moron... this is suppose to be a serious decision!"

"I AM being serious!"

"You got to do better than that! What looks good on you? Lemme see... black works, yes, but so does this dark green - but then again, all you wear is green, so it's practically your color."

"What are you? My accessory advisor?!" He paused for a moment and took a step back from him. "Are you gay?"

"Shut up!!"

"Ahem."

Everyone turned around and saw Robin standing a few feet behind them.

"ROBIN-CHWA~!!"

"May I speak with Mr. Swordsman for a moment?"

"What for?" Zoro asked.

They stepped outside for a moment, leaving the others to find tuxedos that would suit him.

Robin turned her back to Zoro. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About the wedding. Do you know what you're doing?"

"Of course. I'm going to marry Lacy and–"

Robin cut him off. "Did you even think this whole thing over?"

Zoro paused for a moment. "Well... no. I don't care what happens or how this wedding turns out as long as Lacy and I are together."

Robin turned back to look at him. "Well then, where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"The ring. You can't possibly think of getting married without a ring, do you?"

"There has to be a ring?"

Robin sighed disappointingly. "You mean you didn't know? You have to get her a ring in order to prove you're both married to the public. That way everyone knows you're both taken."

"Rings are expensive! I'll just wait until–"

"No! You have to get one for the wedding unless you want her walking around with a bare finger and have others steal her away."

Zoro was caught aback. He knew she wasn't threatening him, but at the same time he knew he had no choice but to get a ring. It was tradition after all.

"Alright. But I need more money. Ring's aren't cheap, you know."

Robin smiled. "I'll be more than happy to help you there. We're pirates after all, we can get more money later. Now, there's one more thing I want to ask you..."

--------------------------------------------------

It was the night before the wedding. Everything was in order: Usopp quickly built a small alter (at an amazing speed and done beautifully), Sanji was ready for the reception, the dress and tux was bought along with the dresses and tuxedos for everyone else. Flowers were being ordered, a priest was found and hired, nothing was out of order.

Lacy stood in front of the mirror holding her dress up to her body in her room. _I can't believe it. Tomorrow, I will be Mrs. Roronoa Lacy..._

_KNOCK KNOCK!  
_

"Come in."

Zoro peeked in the room as if he didn't want to barge in if she was changing.

"Zoro! You're not suppose to see the dress! It's bad luck!"

He walked all the way in and closed the door behind him. He walked towards her and smiled. "Trust me, with us, we've had all the bad luck we can handle."

Lacy smiled and hung the dress back up and placed it in her closet. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to see how you're doing. Your arm looks better."

"Yeah. It's almost healed. It's almost completely a scar."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine. My fever's completely gone, but I'm a little hungry–"

"I meant about tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? You mean the wedding? I'm excited!"

"Honestly?"

"What do you mean by that? Of course!"

"You're not upset about not having your family or friends there?"

Lacy paused for a minute then turned her back to him, ashamed. "I guess... I'm a little sad. I mean... I know my mom would make things complicated for me while my sisters would mock me and say, 'you're actually getting married?' or 'he's weird, why marry him?' and so on. I admit, I really wanted my dad to walk me down the aisle. Heh. It was actually something I wanted to see from my dad. You know, his expression; would he cry after giving his little girl away? Would he be proud? Happy? Sad? ... but, what are you going to do, right?"

Zoro placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lacy..."

"I always had nightmares that my dad would die before my wedding day and it would upset me. And I wanted my four best friends here at least... I wish they could have been here..."

Zoro couldn't take it anymore, he wrapped his arms tight around her and rested his forehead on the back of her head. "Lacy, I'm sorry. I just can't wait any longer. I need you by my side and I want to protect you forever. I'm being selfish."

"Selfish? No... I feel the same way, but then again, who'd ever thought that I'd be in the Straw-Hat pirate gang?"

"Lacy..."

"I'm fine, really. I can get over it. Maybe... if I ever visit home... we can maybe have a... 'fake' wedding for everyone?"

"Alright. If that would make you happy."

She squeezed his arms. "It would."

He could hear her voice tremble a bit. He turned her head towards him and kissed her as his way of apologizing. She closed her eyes as she gratefully accepted him. He then turned her around so she was facing him. Their bodies moved closer, almost touching each other. Zoro leaned her back a bit, making her hang on to his neck.

"Get some sleep. We got to get up early tomorrow." Zoro said, parting their lips.

She laughed. "You? Getting up early? I'll believe it when I see it."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead and left the room.

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The following morning, everyone was rushing around to make last minute preparations for the wedding. The girls were making sure everything was in order while the guys made sure Luffy didn't do anything stupid. It was only a few hours before the wedding, and Zoro and Sanji were out running a couple errands for Nami.

"Why the hell do you have to come with me..." Grumbled Zoro as he and Sanji walked down the market together.

"Kuso... The only reason I'm here is because Nami-san asked me to go."

"Just like an obedient dog."

"Tee mee! Shut up!!"

They glared at each other then looked away, spitting on each other's name. As they went along and did their errands, it was time to finally pick up the rice for the wedding. As they searched through the market, Zoro was strangely quiet around Sanji.

"Oi." Zoro ignored him. "I said 'oi', baka marimo."

"What do you want?" He grunted.

"I was just thinking... if you _ever _hurt Lacy-chan any time after this, I swear to God I'll murder ya."

He kept walking. "Fine."

Sanji stopped walking and stared at Zoro in shock. "What? That's it?! No insult or a punch or anything?! Just 'fine'?!"

"Got a problem?"

"Actually, yeah, I do. You're acting weird and frankly, it bugs the hell outta me."

He shrugged. "Your problem then."

Sanji grabbed Zoro on the shoulder and turned him around. "What's your deal?!"

Zoro knocked his hand away. "Drop it."

"I can't now." He glared at Zoro, waiting for an answer.

Zoro rubbed the back of his neck and blushed slightly. "I... need to talk to you... about something..."

Sanji was in shock. _This bastard wants to talk to me about something? Intentionally?! Crap... _He took out a cigarette and lit it. "Spill."

"Everyone's acting insane about this whole wedding like it's the end of the world. I..." He turned his back to him. "I want Lacy to be happy and all and..."

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Sanji asked impatiently.

"Of course not!"

"Then what is it?"

"This may sound stupid and I'm sure you'll laugh, but I wanted to know... if you... uh..." Zoro shifted uncomfortably in his stance. "If uh... you'd be... my... _bbmnn..." _He mumbled the last words.

Sanji took a step closer to try and hear him. "Your what?"

"My bbmnn..." He still mumbled.

"Speak up, idiot! I can't hear–"

Zoro whirled around to face him. "I WANT YOU TO BE MY BEST MAN AT OUR WEDDING, DAMMIT!!"

Sanji dropped his cigarette and stared at him for a long time. There was an awkward silence that was making Zoro uncomfortable and he couldn't stop blushing.

"Y-you w-want me... to b-be your... best man?!" Zoro nodded and turned his head away. "Are you... serious?!"

"Look, if you don't want to, it's no skin off my back. So either–"

"Wait wait wait. You really _are _being serious about this, aren't you?!"

"Yeah."

Sanji slumped down against a nearby wall and sat there staring at the dirt. "So... you want _me _as your best man? ...Why?"

Zoro leaned against the wall next to Sanji and folded his arms. "Because I'd rather have you as my best man than anyone else."

"Why?"

"Well, Luffy'll will joke about it and probably think it's meat. Then there's Usopp who I don't get along with."

Sanji spat. "Pah! You get along better with him than you do with me! We're _always _fighting!"

Zoro blushed a bit. "I know. But that's all more the reason why I want you as my best man. You can say fighting is our... idiotic way of male bonding."

Sanji chuckled. "You know, you're right. We get along better by fighting and we seem to know how each other works because we're always screaming at each other."

Zoro sighed. "Pathetic, ain't it?"

"Hn. Yeah, it is." Sanji stood up and stretched out his arms. "Alright."

Zoro looked over at him. "Huh?"

"I'll do it. I'll be your best man. We can kill the others for laughing at us afterwords, ok?"

Zoro smirked. "Fine by me."

"This won't change anything between us will it? I mean, I still think you're a seaweed-headed bastard."

Zoro snickered. "And I still think you're a perverted asshole cook."

Sanji smiled. "Then it's settled. Now, let's finish up these errands and get back. You're having a wedding in just a few hours."


	32. Ch31: The Wedding Part 2: Final Hour

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**CHAPTER 31:** **The Wedding (Part 2: The Final Hour) **

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Finally. The moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived at last; and at the last minute, just moments before the wedding, Lacy freaked.

"I-I CAN'T BREATHE"

"Calm down, Lacy! It's going to be fine!" Nami tried to reassure Lacy while keeping her settled in the girls room.

"What if it doesn't work?! I mean, I'm always screwing up and making him mad and what if he thinks the same way? What if he has second thoughts?!" She gasped. "Wait... what if he backs out? What will I do if he doesn't show up and–"

One of Robin's arms appeared out of Lacy's shoulder and slapped a hand over her mouth while a few of her other arms tried to help Nami restrain her. "Daijoubu." She said.

Nami sighed. "Phew! Thanks Robin." She walked to Lacy and leaned over her. "Look, everyone gets nervous when it comes to stuff like this. Trust me. You're just overthinking thing and saying what you already know isn't true. You know Zoro's serious about you."

Lacy finally calmed herself and managed to slump down in a chair. Robin released her mouth, but kept her other hands holding her just in case. "I know. I'm being stupid. I'm just... afraid _I'm _going to mess things up. I want to make this perfect..."

Nami laughed and flicked her on the forehead. "You're being silly~! That just goes to show you you're really human."

"Really?"

Robin chuckled. "Of course. After all, this is your wedding, so make it special. We don't want a runaway bride on our hands."

Lacy laughed. "I'm not going to runaway. Especially from Zoro!"

Nami's eyes lit up and she squealed. "That's so cute, Lacy~!" She slapped her on the shoulder. "Now, go get 'im~!"

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It was a beautiful late afternoon. The sky was starting to turn a bit orange from the sun setting, making the clouds look purple. The wedding was going to take place on a cliff over the ocean just outside of town. It was small, of course. Tiny, actually. There were two small rows consisting of about 5 chairs in each. There were ribbons wrapped around the chairs and flowers everywhere; some even arched along with the alter. There was a preparation tent nearby where the girls were getting ready.

All the men were dressed in black tuxedos and neckties. Chopper was in his deer form with a satin pillow on his back with 2 rings lying in it. Luffy was wearing his straw-hat, of course, but no one seemed to mind. Usopp had his hair pulled back and he kept adjusting his tie uncomfortably. Zoro's tux stood out among the others, naturally. His was black with a dark green silk vest with a white flower sticking out of his upper left breast pocket, and a dark green long sleeve shirt. To finish, he had a white flower in his left breat pcoket.

"This is awkward..." Mumbled Usopp to Luffy.

"Why?"

"Because it's a wedding."

"So?"

"It's _Zoro's _wedding."

"Oh...! Yeah..."

Usopp looked at him funny. "Baka..."

"Will you two be quiet? It's going to start soon." Sanji barked at them.

"But it's weird! I can't help but feel uncomfortable!" Usopp complained.

Sanji paused for a moment. "Well... er– it _is _weird that it's Zoro's wedding when it should be mine... And it _is _Zoro who we thought in a million years couldn't get a girl."

Zoro glared over at him, overhearing the conversation. "Oi...!"

Sanji continued. "And this is... the crew's first wedding. Besides, it's of our 2 nakama, so it makes things less awkward. It'd be different if it was some random girl or guy."

Usopp scratched his chin. "You gotta point."

Luffy's head perked up with a huge smile. "Ooh! Ooh! I hear music! They're coming~!"

Everyone turned their heads to see down the hill in the direction of the music. There were violinists who made themselves comfortable on some chairs on the side of the rows and played soft music. Robin and Nami walked out from the preparation tent and down the aisle.

"AH~!! What beauties~!!" Sanji flustered about. Usopp held his shirt collar to keep him from running towards them.

They smiled, especially Nami who kept winking at Zoro. They both held flower bouquets and stopped at the alter opposite from the men. Once they arrived, the music changed once more, turning everyone's attention once more at the end of the aisle. There was a long pause as the music played, with anticipation rising. Finally, the tent doors opened.

Standing there in her dream dress was Lacy. She wanted to look away since she couldn't stop blushing and smiling. She walked down the aisle holding onto a bouquet of white roses. Nami gave her a thumbs up and winked at her, making her smile even wider, if possible. As soon as she stepped onto the alter, the music stopped and everyone fell silent.

"AAH~!! Excellent~!!" Swooned Sanji, with a bloody nose and hearts throbbing in his eyes.

Zoro couldn't stop staring at her. She was absolutely gorgeous. She was perfect for him. She was perfect in general. He held out his arm, offering it to her with a shy smile. She gladly accepted and their arms locked and they faced the alter. The priest began the ceremony with a few words, only talking about love and commitment. The crew paid the priest to not mention God in any way, since Zoro said long ago that he didn't believe in God. As hard as it was, the priest agreed and kept to the original poetic words of love instead.

As they priest talked, Zoro never once took his eyes off of Lacy. _She's so beautiful, _he thought. _I'll be able to protect her forever... _He saw her trying to control her lips to the best of her abilities. He noticed she was trying to not smile too much with her teeth showing in her wide smile. He realized that she couldn't help it and he laughed inside. _Damn, she's so cute. _He squeezed her arm with his free hand and smiled at her, blushing slightly. She looked up at him and blushed. She smiled and squeezed him back. He nudged her a bit, making her giggle at his childish actions.

When it finally came down to the most important part of the ceremony. "Do you, Zoro, take this woman to be your wife?"

Zoro turned face Lacy. She had an innocent expression, as if she was waiting for him to say yes for the first time. She could even feel her heart beating so fast she was afraid her ribs would crack.

He smiled. "Yes."

She exhaled, not realizing she was holding her breathe, and smiled.

The priest then turned his attention to Lacy. "And do you, Lacy, take this man to be your husband?"

Lacy looked up at him and he gave her a hypnotic stare. She giggled and responded. "I do."

"Bring forth the rings." The priest ordered. Chopper walked in front of the alter, standing behind Zoro and Lacy. Sanji picked up a ring and held it out in front of Zoro. "Young man, take your ring." Said the priest. Zoro did as he was told, patting Sanji on the shoulder. Sanji smiled at him, for once feeling happy for him. Lacy stared in awe as he took her left hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger. His cheeks turned pink and he took a deep breath. "And now young lady, take your ring." Lacy mimicked Zoro and placed the ring on his left ring finger."And now is there something you'd like to say to this young woman?" The priest asked Zoro.

"Lacy, I never wanted to admit this before, but it was love at first sight the very moment I saw you back in your town. Your smile hypnotized me instantly and I knew from then on my life would be different." He squeezed her hand, staring at the ring. "You're everything to me. I'm nothing without you by my side. I feel stronger whenever you're around and I can't bear the thought of ever losing you. So from this day forth and forever more, I will protect you with my life and stand by your side for all eternity." He looked deep into her eyes. "I will never _ever_ throw away my love for you. You are my world that I will never abandon."

Lacy blushed so bad, she felt like she was going to cry. She heard that Nami had already beaten her to it. Nami was balling and trying to contain herself. Lacy thought about trying to be strong and did her best to hold back her happy tears. Luckily, the tears stayed on the corners of her eyes.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to this young man?" The priest then asked Lacy.

She took a deep breath. "Zoro, my life is meaningless without you in it. Without your embrace, without your voice, without you, my heart would die. It means so much to me that we're together and that you enjoy my company. I swear to you, that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and make you happy, in this world and the next. We've been through a lot together, and I can't wait to make more memories with you and our new life together. I'll go with you to the end of the world." She squeezed his hand. "I too, will never stop loving you."

This time, Sanji was balling. He kept saying her name and that everything was so sweet. Nami calmed herself down, giving everyone a wet smile. Zoro brought his contained hand to his lips and kissed her finger with the ring on it. She blushed and stepped closer to him, wanting him to hold her; until the priest interrupted.

"Now, by the power of G-- erm, by the power vested in me, I hear by pronounce you both, husband and wife." He turned and smiled at Zoro. "You may now kiss your bride."

Zoro wasted no time and cupped her cheeks. He leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Everyone cheered and clapped for them, cheering and shouting congratulating compliments for them and throwing rice. Zoro picked up Lacy, bridal style of course, while still kissing her. When their lips broke, Lacy smiled uncontrollably with tears of joy slowly trickling down her cheeks. He carried her to the end of the aisle where a small carriage with flowers waited for them. Chopper was already hooked up to the carriage and smiled at them as Zoro set Lacy gently down in her seat. He sat beside her and Chopper rode them back towards the Going Merry where they would have their reception.

As Chopper trotted down the hill, Zoro embraced Lacy in his arms.

"Finally, " He whispered into her ear, "you're mine forever. Now you can't escape from me."

Lacy squealed. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment?!"

Zoro laughed. "I think I have an idea." He wiped a tear from her eye. "You're beautiful by the way."

She blushed. "I feel weird in a dress."

"You look good in them, but don't wear them all the time, ok?"

She looked back at him. "Why?"

He squeezed his grip on her. "Because I like you just the way you are. You're ol' tough, tomboyish self."

She smiled. "Thank you. I promise I'll only wear them when necessary." She winked at him. "I must sat you look very handsome in a suit, Zoro."

He blushed. "It's too contricting. I'll wear them once in a blue moon, ok?"

Lacy paused for a moment and stared at his breast pocket. "Is that... a carnation?" She asked.

"Yeah. Like it?"

She looked at it in awe. "They're my favorite flower."

"I know. You told me once before."

"And you remembered?!"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh my God, Zoro. _You _picked out the flowers?!"

He smiled. "Yup."

She felt moved that he thought about her. "So... Robin didn't pick out the flowers, you did? _You _picked out my favorite flower for our wedding?"

His smile grew wider. "Yup."

She hugged him. "You're so romantic you don't even know it!"

They embraced each other in their arms and kissed happily. Chopper took a peek and blush at the sight of two adults kissing, still being a child himself.

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They reached the Going Merry where everyone seemed to already be there and waiting for them. As soon as they boarded, the reception began. Using Lacy's laptop, they played music for the party. They danced all night, which surprised Lacy since she never knew Zoro was such a good dancer. A new secret about him she discovered. Sanji would sometimes "step in" to dance with the bride and soon everyone wanted to dance with her and tease her.

Then it was time for the bride and groom's song of the hour. Lacy was shocked; she knew all about the special song with them, but she was so caught up in preparing for the wedding, she never picked a song with Zoro. She began to panic, trying to figure out if the song will either be a disaster or wonderful.

Zoro looked at Lacy and smiled, holding out his hand. "Come on. They called for us."

She stared at him for a moment, wondering why he was so calm. She smiled, and gave him her hand.

They walked toward the middle of the dance floor when Nami took the stage. "Alright everyone~! The moment you've all been waiting for~! A special song for our newlyweds~!"

She paused for a moment while everyone cheered and clapped. Then she continued. "Now here's their wedding song picked out specially by the groom~! Take it away guys~!"

The lights dimmed and everyone fell silent. Usopp shoned a blue spotlight over the couple as Zoro pulled Lacy closer to him. She could hear the soft music playing to a song she instantly recognized. They were dancing to _A Kiss From A Rose_ sung by Seal_. _For some reason, this song would make Lacy think of the perfect dance. Every time she'd listen to the song, she'd imagine herself dancing on the beach with no one but her and her dream man -or better, Zoro- with no one to bother them as they danced without a care in the world._  
_

She looked up at him with a surprised expression. "You picked the song?"

Zoro chuckled. "Why? Is that a bad thing? Robin reminded me about 'our song' at the last moment. I'm sure you forgot too?

"Well... I didn't really forget it. I mean, I knew about this, but I forgot about it these past few days." She paused for a moment then continued. "Why did you pick this song?"

Zoro blushed slightly. "You said one time that this was your favorite slow song because it was beautiful and soft."

She smiled. "It's amazing how you remember some of the little things I say."

"You think I don't pay attention? You don't give me enough credit."

She giggled and rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "You do so much for me, Zoro. Thank you."

He responded and rested his head on top of hers gently. "You deserve the best."

They slow danced in one area, holding each other close. Lacy felt as if they were dancing on clouds, swept away by the music with no one to keep them apart. When the song was over, everyone clapped and cheered once again and ran back out to the dance floor as another song came on. It took Lacy a moment to realize where she was. She was so into the mood that she forgot they were still on the Going Merry at their wedding reception.

Zoro kissed Lacy on the forehead and stared into her eyes. "Thank you for this dance."

"Thank _you_ for the song~!"

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The reception went on til almost 4 in the morning. Everyone was tired (some drunk) and pretty much slept where they dropped.

Zoro finished his last round of grog. When he was done, he picked up the sleeping bride in his arms and kissed her forehead. He smiled down at her.

"Even in an exhausted sleep she still looks as beautiful as ever." He tightened his grip on her and walked toward her room. "And now you're mine for keeps."

He placed her down on her bed and unbuttoned the his shirt. He threw his shirt to one side, along with his vest, jacket, tie, and shoes. He stretched for a moment then turned to face Lacy and began to undress her as well. But he was gentle as he tried to get her out of her delicate dress. He smirked as he got an idea and put his shirt on her.

After smiling to himself for a job well done, he climbed into bed and laid next to his bride - who was now using his shirt as a pajama top. He wrapped his arms around her and snuggled up beside her. But he didn't fall asleep just yet; he was too interested at staring at her face. He rubbed her cheek softly and kissed it. Then he began to dream about their future together...


	33. Ch32: Honeymoon Hot Springs

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**CHAPTER 32: Honeymoon - Hot Springs  
**

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Lacy woke up the next morning with a headache. She partied too hard last night and she was paying for it. She rested her hand on her forehead for a moment, before realizing she had different clothes on. She sat up and saw her wedding dress hanging over the desk chair. She looked down and noticed she was wearing Zoro's shirt and soon found him sleeping next to her, snoring loudly.

She giggled at the sight. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. _His skin's so warm, _she thought, smiling to herself. _He's so cute~._ She kissed his cheek and got out of bed. She noticed her clock read 1pm, but she didn't mind since they were up pretty much the whole night. She held her head and moaned all the way to the bathroom. She fumbled around for some aspirin for her headache then got herself a glass of water. She went up to the kitchen and found only Robin, Sanji, and Usopp sitting around the table.

"LACY-CHWA~!!!" Sanji ran over to her, ready to embrace her with a hug, until she held up her hand and held her head.

"Please don't, Sanji. I'm not feeling to well."

"WHA?! What's wrong, Lacy-chwa~?"

"You were pretty wild last night." Robin commented, never taking her eyes off the book she was reading.

Lacy moaned. "Yeah, a little too much."

Usopp chuckled. "Heh heh! You got so drunk you started dancing on the table with her dress flying up~!"

Lacy took a step back and blushed. "I DID WHAT?!"

"Stop teasing her, baka!" Sanji hit Usopp on the head.

"Don't listen to him, Miss Artist." Robin said. "You didn't do such a thing."

Lacy sighed. "Thank God..."

"Now that I think about it," pondered Sanji, "you never really were drunk. You had a lot to drink, but you were just dizzy from dancing mixing with the drinks you had. You never threw up, so that was a good sign."

Lacy walked over and sat down at the table beside Robin. "I just have a headache from staying up all night dancing. Not so much the drinking."

"Are you hungry, Lacy-chan~? Eating something will make you feel better."

"I guess."

Sanji clapped his hands together. "What would you like?"

"Um... just some fried rice please, with the marinated chicken and veggies for now."

Sanji's face beamed. "Yosh~! As you wish, my lady~!" Sanji pranced over to the sink and rolled up sleeves, ready to cook.

Robin finally put down her book and took a sip of her tea. "So, where do you two plan on going later?"

Lacy looked her puzzled. "Huh?"

"You know! Where's the honeymoon?" Chuckled Usopp.

Lacy blushed. "O-oh yeah! U-uh well... I'm not sure. I know honeymoons are about a day or 2 after the wedding, but..."

"You and Mr. Swordsman didn't plan on anything?" Robin asked.

She nodded in shame. "Well didn't plan on getting married til a couple weeks ago, so we never talked about it."

Usopp let out a big sigh. "You know, you're lucky you have shipmates like us." Lacy looked at him, waiting for him to explain his comment. "Luckily, this island is well known for their hot springs."

"Really?" Asked Lacy. She remembered the last time she went to a hot springs; it was actually her first time with Robin and Nami. It wasn't a good time for her to experience the springs when Zoro was getting ready to fight Mihawk. Plus with all the stress she was enduring, she felt even more embarrassed being surrounded by naked women and having Nami wanting her to be naked herself.

"Yup! For 3 days, you and seaweed head are going to spend your Honeymoon in a nice hotel with a hot springs. Only the best for you~!" Sanji gleamed back at her over his shoulder.

Lacy folded her arms and rested them on the table with her head hidden in them. "I can't believe you guys did this. You all are making me feel horrible."

"Hm?" Robin gave her a surprised expression. "Why's that?"

"Because, like always, I'm low or broke on money and you guys went through so much with this wedding and now this? An organized honeymoon? How am I suppose to repay you?!"

"That's what friends are for." Sanji explained. "You don't have to do anything for us."

"Forget it!" Lacy sighed. "I _will _repay you all back. It may not be right away, but eventually I will. I swear!"

"Deal~!!"

Nami stormed into the room with a big smile on her face. She walked over to Lacy and sat across from her. "Do you want your bill~?"

Usopp hit her in the arm. "O-OI! That's not right, Nami!"

"She said it, not me." She smiled back at Lacy.

"No. I will pay you guys back. But like I said, over time I will."

"Alright~!" Nami beamed. "$60,000 berries outta do it~!"

Lacy sat back and her eyes bulged. "$6-6-60,000 berries?! IT'LL TAKE ME MY WHOLE LIFE TO GET THAT MUCH MONEY!!"

"Stop harassing her, Nami!! What are you, a banker?!"

Everyone turned towards the doorway and found Zoro with a red face glaring at Nami.

She just shooed his hand at him. "Whatever. You still owe me from way back when."

"I DO NOT!!"

"Anyways, _you _seem to be fine. Not sick this morning?"

Zoro grunted and folded his arms. "A man knows how to hold his liquor. Simple as that."

Lacy smiled, glad to see him awake at last. "Hey Zoro~. Did you sleep well?"

He walked over and made room for himself next to her and scratched his head. "Yeah. I'm surprised I woke up though, since we were up so late. You?"

Lacy held her head again. "I have a horrible headache. But I'll be fine in a few minutes–"

She stopped, blushing as Zoro cupped her cheeks and examined her face. "Your eyes aren't bloodshot, so you're not drunk. Are you feeling sick anywhere else?"

She smiled. "I-I'm fine. Too much dancing."

He let go of her and smiled back. "Did you have fun?"

She nodded. "Of course~! The best night of my life~!"

"Here's your meal, Lacy-chwa~!!" Twirled Sanji as he placed her steaming food in front of her.

She licked her lips and picked up her chopsticks. "This looks great, Sanji~! Thank you!"

"Anything for you, my angel~!"

"OI!" Zoro snapped at Sanji. He wrapped an arm around Lacy and held her close. "She's _my _angel!" Lacy's face turned completely red, caught off guard from Zoro's sudden comment to the public.

Sanji spat. "Stupid marimo head..."

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A few minutes later, everyone was in the kitchen eating. When they were done, Lacy went downstairs to change and get ready for the day; or what was left of it.

"Lacy?" She turned around and found Zoro following close behind her to her room.

"What's up?"

He blushed and turned his head away, scratching the back of his head and closed his eyes. "S-so... uh... Did anyone tell you about... um, tonight?"

She blinked. "You mean about the Honeymoon?"

"Yeah."

She smiled. "Yeah. Robin and Usopp told me about it. So there's a hot springs here? Did you know that?"

"Well, no. But Robin told me about it and I didn't know–"

Lacy giggled and cut him off. "You're so cute when you're clueless."

He turned his head to face her. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?!"

"Heh heh~! Nothing. It's just that you're new to this, so you didn't know about a honeymoon, am I right?"

He blushed again and nodded. "Un."

"It's ok. I didn't know were going to have a honeymoon anyways."

"D-don't be silly! Of course we were going to have one! I didn't know what to do though. And besides..." He walked closer to her and placed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "I wanted you to be happy."

She blushed and hugged him. "It doesn't matter where we went or if we went anywhere at all. As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy."

"So does that mean you want to stay at that hot springs?"

She nodded. "Of course~!" They stood there for a moment holding each other, when Lacy let out a slight laugh. "Zoro?"

"What?"

"Did you undress me last night?" She asked in a teasing tone.

He blushed. "Y-yes."

"Ha! I knew it. Why else would I be in _your _shirt? Unless you took advantage of a passed out girl?" She said jokingly.

"N-NO, I DIDN'T!!"

She laughed. "Oh really~?" She winked at him, walking towards the dresser.

She had just opened a drawer when she felt Zoro's warm arms wrap around her.

"No fair." He whispered. "I wanted to wake up first so I could see my bride sleeping next to me."

She blushed and smiled. "I'm sorry."

His lips curled and he turned her around to kiss him. When their lips parted, he rested his head on her forehead. "You wanna take a shower together?"

Her cheeks went bright red. "H-HERE?! W-with everyone on board?!"

"What? No one has to know."

"How will they _not_ know?! If I tell them I'm taking a shower and you are no wher to be found, they'll know.! Or vice versa!"

"You worry too much." He sighed.

"But everyone–"

He bopped her gently on the forehead. "Dummy. We're married now, remember? We have a reason to be together like this."

She took a deep breath. "Well, you seem to be adjusting well to our marriage."

"And you're still acting like our love is secret."

She hugged him. "I'm sorry. Force of habit, you know?"

He chuckled. "I know. But don't think I've adjusted just yet. It's unlike me to act affectionate around the others with you."

She giggled. "That's true."

"So," his voice fell softer, "do you wanna take a shower together? I'll scrub your back if you scrub mine?"

Lacy laughed and pushed him away playfully. "Oh please, Zoro~! That's the oldest line in the book!"

"What?! I was being serious!"

"Ri~ght!"

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It was starting to get late, and it was finally time to check in to the hot springs hotel. Lacy said good-bye to the crew, since she would not be seeing them for 3 days. Nami kept teasing her about "sleeping together", but Lacy just blushed and ignored her comments. But she wasn't the only getting teased about being alone together. Zoro was getting an ear-full from the guys. Especially from Sanji, who kept protesting that they do anything sexual together since it was already unfair that Zoro was married before him. After their good-byes, They walked to the front desk of the hotel and checked in. A lady led them to a room on the other side of the hotel on the second floor. When they were all settled in and cozy, it was time to begin their Honeymoon fun.

"Why don't we go to the hot springs now?" Suggested Zoro.

"Ok~! When's the last time you went to a hot springs, Zoro?"

Zoro pondered for a moment as they walked together down the hall towards the elevator. "Hmm... not in a long time, I guess. There was a hot springs in Alabasta in the kingdom."

Lacy giggled. "That's right! I about died when I saw that episode~!"

"Why?"

She smiled and winked at him. "Because that's when I saw you almost completely naked for the first time."

Zoro blushed. "THEY SHOWED ME WHAT?!"

"Haha! Yup! But don't worry, a towel was blocking your front~!"

Zoro shook. "Bastards!"

"Hey, don't worry~! I'm the only one that's seen you _completely _naked, I swear~!"

"And lets keep it that way!"

When they got to the elevator, they were lucky and found themselves the only ones in the shaft. Lacy gave Zoro a sly smile and pounced on him.

"W-w-wha?!"

Zoro was caught off guard as Lacy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She ran her hands down his chest, feeling her way to his hand and forced him to wrap it around her waist. Zoro never protested. He gladly held her by the hips and returned her kisses. As soon as they heard the elevator doors open, the stopped and acted like nothing happened. They saw a couple staring at them while they were waiting to step in. But when Zoro and Lacy stepped out and the elevator doors closed, they both laughed.

"Did you see the look on their faces?" Lacy asked. "They were all like, 'what the hell were they doing in there?' Haha!"

"Why did you do that anyways?"

She kept laughing. "I don't know. I've always wanted to do that~!"

They approached the hot springs and saw some men walking through one set of doors and women walking through another set opposite from the mens.

"Oi." Zoro called out to a working girl who was holding some towels.

"Yes, sir?" She replied.

"Isn't there a honeymoon springs we can go to or something?"

The girl smiled at both of them. "Of course! Are you two newlyweds?" They nodded. "Heehee~! Congratulations~!"

"Er... thanks. So where are they?" Asked Zoro.

"Down past the garden to your right. You can't miss it; there's a sign that says 'honey springs' on a door."

"Thank you." Lacy said to her as they walked further down the building.

Sure enough, there was the door that said "Honey Springs" on it, and they walked through. No one was inside, which was good for them. They went into separate stalls and changed. When they were wrapped in towels, they walked outside together while holding hands, and stepped into the warm water. It was very relaxing and Lacy was glad she could enjoy the springs better without worrying about Zoro or being out in the public.

"Ahh..." Zoro sighed.

"Feels good?" Lacy giggled.

"Yeah. This is exactly what we needed after all we've been through."

She scooted closer to him. "You got that right. And it's a tiny spring"

"Perfect for just two people, if you ask me."

"I know. They probably don't expect a lot of newlyweds here, huh?"

"Guess not."

They spent the next hour or so talking, when they realized the heat was starting to get a little unbearable and their skin was pruning badly. Lacy was about to get out when Zoro pulled her back in and she landed in his lap. She stared up at him and blinked.

"Not just yet." He said.

Before she could respond, he pressed a hard kiss upon her lips, supporting her neck with a hand. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder while the other was wrapped around his neck. As they kissed, Zoro scooped her up and carried her back to their hotel suite.

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Morning came fast, but they stayed in bed wrapped in each other arms for a while longer.

"Ohaiyo." Zoro said as he stared at Lacy, who just woke up.

"Ohaiyogozaimasu~ What time is it?"

"Late."

"Souka?" She yawned and closed her eyes again. She felt Zoro's fingers stroking her hair.

"Tired?" He asked. She yawned again. He chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

She smiled. "I just want to lay here a little while longer." She opened her eyes and saw him smiling gently at her. "What?"

"Nothing. You just look beautiful in the morning is all."

She blushed. "I do not. I probably look like a mess."

"You may think that, but I don't. I want to wake up every morning like this with you."

She cuddled closer to him, smiling at his wonderful words. "Wish granted~."

They eventually forced themselves out of bed and spent the entire day walking in the gardens and hanging out in the café. Later that evening they went back to the hot springs, and for the first time in Lacy's life, she swam in the warm water like it was a pool. She played with Zoro for a couple hours, forcing Zoro to wrestle in the water. Zoro was surprised at how strong she was getting, but in the end he won by pinning her against the waterfall and kissed her while he still held her hands against the rocks.

When they got out, they threw on some robes and walked into the spring's lounge. Lacy spotted a ping pong table and smiled.

"OH MY GOD!!"

"What?" Zoro asked in a careless tone.

"They have ping pong here!!"

"Ping what?"

"Ping pong! Don't tell me you've never heard of it?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

Her jaw dropped. "Oh my God! You've got to play it! In fact, let's play right now~!"

"Now?"

"Of course!" She grabbed his wrist and led him towards the ping pong table. "It'll be fun~!"

"O-oi, matte! I don't even know how to play!" Zoro complained.

"Then I'll teach you. It's not that hard." She picked up 2 paddles from the wall and gave one to Zoro. "I'm sure you know what a paddle is and how to hold it?"

"Of course I do!"

She smiled and walked to the other side of the table. "Ok. That side of the net is your territory and this side is mine, got it?" Zoro nodded. "The object of the game is to get the most points. You have to hit this ball," she held up the little white ping pong ball, "on the other side of the net. If you're returning the ball and it bounces on your side of the net first, it's my point."

"...ok."

"But, if it hits my side - or your side - twice after you succussfully returned the ball over the net, it's the other person's point. You cannot let it bounce more than once on your side. If you hit it and it never bounces on the other side of the net, it's my point and vice versa. It's also our point if we hit the ball on the other side and it bounces once, and your opponent doesn't hit it back. And if the ball hits the net and doesn't bounce over, it's the other person's point, but it counts if you hit the net and it makes it over to the other person's side. First one up to 20 wins and you need 2 points ahead to win in case we end in a tie. We play a set of best out of 3. Got it?"

Zoro scratched his head. "I think so."

"I'll help you out along the way, ok?"

"Alright. So who goes first?"

"I will to show you how to serve. Now, the only time you can have the ball bounce on your own side is when your serving. We each get 5 serves in a row each, no matter who gets the point. Ready?"

Zoro stood in a ready position. "Ready."

She served softly, not wanting to surprise Zoro. He swung, but missed the ball entirely, causing him to fall over. Lacy laughed.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!" Zoro blushed, frustrated.

"But your were so CUTE~!"

"So what now?!"

"That's my point. So it's 1-0 for now."

Zoro clenched his teeth. "Alright! Do it again!"

She giggled and served. He managed to hit the ball this time, but out of frustration, he hit the ball too hard and it flew to the other side of the room, making a hole in the wall where the ball hit.

"Better." Lacy sweat dropped. "Don't use so much strength. Remember, you want it to bounce on my side. Now it's 2-0."

Zoro grunted and waited for the next serve. It wasn't until the score was 13-0 when Zoro finally got the feeling of the game. His serves weren't too bad, and he kept hitting the ball hard sometimes. In the end, Lacy obviously won the first game.

"Do you want to stop?" Lacy asked, not sure if Zoro was bored with the game.

"Hell no! You said best out of 3. This is only one!"

"But aren't you mad?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you don't really know how to play and you keep grunting..."

He sneered. "Heh! I enjoy a new challenge."

Lacy's head perked up. "Really~?!"

He nodded. "Yeah. But there's one thing I'd like to change before the second round." He walked over to the pile of paddles and picked up two more; one in each hand and the third in his mouth. "Alright! Let's go!"

Lacy laughed. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Of course I am! Now serve!"

She couldn't stop laughing, and it was messing up her serves. She thought it was so funny the way Zoro was taking ping pong into his own hands. And he was doing even better with the extra paddles. But after 6 games all together, Lacy won.

"You got a lot better, Zoro~! I was starting to have a hard time returning your balls. Technically you cheated by using extra paddles, but considering I won and it's your first time playing, I'll let it slide this time~!"

Zoro tilted his head back and sighed. "You're really good at this game. I mean REALLY good. How did you learn to play this?"

"I use to play here and there at softball parties. Then when I was stuck up in Idaho this past summer at my aunt's house, she had a ping pong table in the basement. It would entertain me for hours and soon everyone was involved and we would have tournaments and eat our lunch down there. And the best part was since I played so much, no one could beat me~! I was so flattered when everyone was determined to defeat me and kept challenging me~!"

"Did anyone beat you?"

"Only twice. Once by my mom and once my by middle sister."

Zoro chuckled. "So I take it you're the 'master', right?"

She held her head high. "I guess you could say that~!"

"Wanna play again?" Zoro asked.

Lacy blinked and stared at him for a moment. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm determined to beat you now!"

She laughed and winked at him. "Well, alright. If you think you can~!"

They played for 5 hours, losing track of how many sets they played. Not once did Zoro beat her.

They panted in the lounge, trying to catch their breath from their intense games.

"You're... way to freakin' good at this..." Zoro said.

"Hee hee~! Thanks...!" She glanced at the clock. "Wow! It's almost two in the morning! We've been playing for a long time!"

"Really?" Zoro glanced at the clock as well. "You're right. What do you say we call it a night, huh?"

"Ok."


	34. Ch33: Just Keeps Getting Better

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**CHAPTER 33: Just Keeps Getting Better **

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It was their last day alone together, and they spent half the day playing ping pong - Zoro was very determined to beat her. He never did and it was frustrating for him since he never lost a challenge. As her way of saying sorry, Lacy treated him at the bar with lots of drinks. They also gabbed a while and played pool and darts. That night was the same as before where they relaxed in the hot springs then played ping pong for hours, then fooled around back in the hotel room.

As they laid together in bed, they kissed and talked for a moment.

"Ne, Zoro?" Lacy asked.

"What?"

"These past couple days have been the best in my entire life."

Zoro smiled up at her. "I'm glad. You're happiness satisfies me."

She blushed. "Why is it that you always say the right things?"

He stroked her cheek. "Maybe it's your smile. It's enchanting."

She placed her hand on top of his on her cheek. "Or maybe it's your hidden charm."

He chuckled. "Doubt it." He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her.

"And how is it that you know my every weakness?" She asked with a huge smile.

"It's a gift." He joked.

"Ha! You wish~!" She teased.

His face turned serious. "Just being with you for so long, makes me know your every move, thought, and jesture."

Her cheeks turned pink. "I'm glad you do. That way I don't have to dream about it."

"You don't even have to _try _to make week."

"What do you mean?"

"All you have to do is smile and that's it; I'm yours."

She smiled, intrigued. "Really? That's it?"

He smiled. "Yup. Everything you do turns me on."

"Seriously?"

He snickered. "What? You don't believe me?"

"I'm just flattered. My smile... makes you happy?"

"Of course. And the best part is," he leaned closer to her lips, "you smile all the time." He gave her another kiss.

She let out a deep sigh. "I don't think our adventures will change between us now that we're married."

"Why's that?"

She giggled. "Because we pretty much acted like a married couple already."

"Did we?"

"You never noticed? We even fought like a married couple."

He scratched his cheek with his forefinger. "I guess we did. But there will be a difference."

"What will be different?"

"No one can take you away from me since we're now bound together. I'll be fighting to protect my wife."

She lied on his chest and placed her hands on his shoulders. "And no woman can have you. I'm going to become stronger for my husband."

He hugged her close. "I like the sound of that."

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They checked out of their hotel room later that morning around 11am and thanked the clerk for their hospitality. They walked for an hour towards the dock where they found the Going Merry waiting for them. As they approached the ship, Luffy leaned over the railing and waved at them.

"Oi Zoro~! Lacy~! Minna, they're back!"

Zoro sighed. "Great. Back to the idiots again."

Lacy giggled. "Aww, come on. You know you missed them."

Sanji, Nami, and Chopper peeked over the railing next to Luffy and waved at them.

"Hey guys~!" Nami cooed. "Did you have fun?"

"YOU BETTER NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING DISGUSTING TO LACY-CHAN, ASSHOLE!!" Sanji screamed at Zoro, shaking his fist.

Zoro let out another huge sigh. "Oh yeah, I _really _missed them..." Lacy laughed.

As they boarded the Going Merry, Zoro and Sanji were already fighting while the girls went over to talk to Lacy.

"How was the hot springs?" Asked Robin.

"They were really relaxing~! I'm glad I got another chance to go to one!" Lacy beamed.

"Did you guys swim naked with each other?" Snickered Nami.

Lacy's face turned red. "N-NO!! W-WE DIDN'T!"

Nami laughed and slapped her back. "It's ok if you don't want to admit it~!"

"What did you guys do?" Asked Chopper.

"Well, we first went to the hot springs. Then the next day we went to the café and hung out in some gardens–"

Robin cut her off. "Sounds like you went around the town again."

"Well, we already explored the town right after we got on the island, but this time Zoro and I got to do it together. Anyways, we went to the hot springs again that evening. But before we left, we played ping pong~!"

"Ping pong?" Repeated Chopper.

"It's a game." Robin explained. "You have 2 paddles and a ball and hit it back and forth to each other over a net. I remember reading about it."

"Yeah, that's it! And we spent hours playing it! I think I got Zoro hooked!"

"Sounds like fun~!" Commented Nami.

"It was! Then yesterday we hung out at the bar and played pool and went to the hot springs one last time and played ping pong again~!"

"Well, I'm glad you two had fun." Smiled Robin.

"Ping pong sounds like a lot of fun~!" Beamed Chopper.

Lacy giggled. "It is~! Maybe I can ask Usopp to build us a table some time."

Nami scooted closer and nudged Lacy in the arm. "So~!" She said sweetly. "Did you guys get it on?"

Lacy's face turned red again and she took a step back. "W-W-WHAT?! NO! WE–"

Nami butted in. "Hee hee~! You're blushing~! So you did!"

Lacy stomped her foot. "N-no we didn't!

Nami walked away from her with a huge smile on her face. "Whatever. You're in denial~!" Lacy knelt her head in shame, embarrassed that Nami had to ask something to personal and private...

Later that evening, Zoro and Lacy talked about their activities on their honeymoon (leaving out the night time details, of course). In the end, everyone was anxious to try ping pong, and without asking, Usopp decided to make one as soon as possible.

"I'm glad you had a wonderful time, Lacy-chwa~!" Swooned Sanji.

"Yeah, but I'm tired now. So I think I'm going to go to bed early."

Lacy walked down the stairs and into her room, where she found some suitcases lying on her bed.

"What the...?"

"Ah, sorry. I meant to put those away."

She turned around and saw Zoro walking through the door. "What's with the suitcases? We didn't take any of those on our honeymoon."

"I forgot to tell you. I'm moving in."

Lacy blinked. "W-wha...?"

"We're married now, so I thought it would be better if we could shared the same room. Now I won't have to sneak in the room in the middle of the night."

She blushed. "Wha...?!"

Zoro walked over to the bed and opened the suitcases. "Are you upset?"

"N-no! Of course not! I was just... surprised is all! These are your suitcases?"

"Just a couple. And that trunk by the night stand."

She looked over and sure enough, there was a brass trunk sitting against the wall. "Oh! heh heh Well then, looks like we're going to need a bigger bed. There's no way in hell we're going to fit on my twin."

"I've already taken care of it."

"Huh?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know?" Zoro asked surprised.

"Know what?"

"Usopp built us a bigger bed."

"WHAT?!"

"Well first of all, it's his wedding gift to us; it was a surprise. And second, I told the guys I'd be rooming with you."

"Geez, Zoro! You think of everything, don't you?!" She smiled. "And what if I said no?"

Zoro smiled and walked closer to her. "I don't think that word would ever cross your mind."

Her cheeks turned pink. "No, they wouldn't."

He snuck a kiss on her lips and winked. "See. I know you."

She giggled. "Alright. So now we're _officially _newlyweds. We got married, have the rings, went on a honeymoon, and now sharing the same room! If we lived on land we would've owned our own house, but considering we're sailing pirates, living in the same room is just as good."

"Now I can wake up every morning to your beautiful face." When she blushed, Zoro snickered. "You still blush at my words, Lacy?"

She shook her head. "S-so?! I can't help it of you're too damn sexy for your own good!"

Zoro puffed out his chest. "Damn straight!"

She laughed and pushed him back on the bed. "You're just like Sanji."

"Don't compare me to him!"

She stuck out her tongue. "So where's this bed Usopp made?"

"He said he would get it tomorrow. He wanted to make a decorative headboard."

Her smile faded. "It's not pictures of him, is it?"

Zoro's forehead knotted. "He _did _put himself on it at first, but I made sure he changed it."

"Haha! Good!" She jumped on top of Zoro on the bed and hugged him. "Since we're now roommates, that doesn't mean we have to redecorate, do we?"

Zoro scanned the room and a sweat drop ran down his cheek. "Uh... I think so."

"What?! Why?" Lacy pouted.

"Because it's creepy being in a room with all these Zoro copies scattered around everywhere you look. The dolls and posters gotta go."

"Aww... but they're so cute! And I've been collecting everything for years! And for your information, they're 'plushies' not dolls!"

"Whatever, they still gotta go! You have the real thing!" Zoro protested.

"Yeah, but these are adorable and cuddly! I mean, just look at this!" She held up one of her Zoro plushies with a Christmas hat.

Zoro made a disgusted face. "That thing's creepy."

"Fine! I'll just put it all in one corner of the room, ok?"

Zoro sighed. "Ok. Sorry, but it's just weird."

"Alright, alright. I'll do it tomorrow. I'm tired."

"Kay." Zoro kissed her on top of her forehead. "'Night."

He got up and was about to leave her alone, when she called after him. "Wait! You're sleeping in here tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just wondering. That way I can make room for you~." She winked.

He smiled back at her and waved as he closed the door quietly behind him.


	35. Ch34: Sink or Swim

**_[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE ]]_** You thought it was over? Zoro and Lacy got married and they lived happily ever after? WRONG. Their adventures continue!! :) I still have LOTS AND LOTS of chapters to show you guys. ;P It's a short story, but it was a dream I had a long time ago and thought it'd be good for a little side story. Enjoy!!

* * *

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**CHAPTER 34: Sink or Swim  
**

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About a month has passed since Zoro and Lacy were wed. Both of them and the rest of the crew went about their lives just as normal as it was before the couple's marriage. Well, as normal as it can be for them anyways. They arrived at the next island, restocked supplies and provisions like always and waited for Nami's Log Pose to locate the next island. They found out it'd take about 24 hours before it would pick up the next island's magnetic field, so the crew crashed on the island and enjoyed themselves before heading out again.

Lacy found herself amazed by the island since it looked like an island in itself. The town was practically surrounded by a large moat further in. She later found out the island had a ton of moats surrounding villages as well as plenty of open and secluded swim areas for everyone to enjoy. She separated herself from the crew to go exploring, sneaking a bag with her. After nearly 30 minutes of exploring through the tress, she finally found a small river with a large waterfall falling slowly and softly over plants and boulders. Lacy felt at peace and opened up her bag and took out a bathing suit and towel. She quickly changed behind a bush -fearing of someone walking in on her- and got into her black bikini with a red pirate skull in the middle of her bottoms. She dipped her feet in the water as she sat on the side in the grass. Even though the water was clear, it was still connected to the ocean and making her only a little weak. Then again, she wasn't all the way in the water. Not wanting to risk it, she kept swishing her legs around in the water. She heard something rustling in the bushes and was coming up fast behind her. Unafraid thinking it's an animal, Lacy kept sitting on the side when Zoro finally revealed himself.

In between gasps he finally spoke. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Lacy blinked. "What? I'm just sitting here."

He stopped and scanned her body and found it completely dry. "Either you used your ability to quickly dry yourself off or you're just waiting for me to leave before you jump in!"

She sighed. "You're such a dork Zoro. I'm blonde, not stupid. I'm not going to jump in."

He walked over by her and sighed with relief. "Good. I heard you went this way and I knew you were going to go swim."

"I'd like to... but..." She looked at her hands. "This was the one thing I really hated about eating the Devil's Fruit. I absolutely loved to swim. My parents even said I was born to swim like a fish."

"So swimming around is fun to you?"

She laughed. "Yes, but I what I really love is to dive! I was good at it too! There were quite a few tricks I could do, especially for an amateur."

"Well, you can't anymore so don't even think about it unless you want to drown."

Sadness swept over her face. "I know."

She didn't cry, but Zoro already knew she wanted to. He remembered when they first met and how she was always swimming with the crew in the ocean. She always looked so happy being in the water. He guessed that was an upside to the Devil's Fruit and now having her posses the power of her favorite element.

He crossed his arms. "Fine. You can go swimming. But don't be reckless."

She looked up at him. "Zoro, I just said I can't, remember? The Devil's Fruit?"

"I'll catch you."

"You'll... what?"

"I'll catch you." He pointed at the waterfall. "That boulder near the top is perfect for you to dive off of. Every time you dive into the water, I'll be there at the bottom to catch you so you don't drown."

A smile appeared on her face. "Really~? What about your swim trunks?"

"Don't need them." He took off his shirt, shoes, and haramaki and tossed of over by her bag. "My pants are fine. I don't care if they get wet."

She threw herself into his arms and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Zoro! This is going to be so much fun! I can show you all my tricks and then you can show me yours~!"

He sweat dropped. "Erm... I can only do the normal dive. You can do all the diving."

She frantically climbed to the top boulder Zoro was talking about. It stuck out a little bit over the fall and was longer than the other boulders and flatter. It was almost perfect to be a diving board. She walked to the edge of the boulder and smiled down at Zoro. "Ready?"

He nodded. "Whenever you are."

For the next half hour Lacy dove off the waterfall and when she landed in the water Zoro was there to lift her back up. The water wasn't that deep to begin with so Lacy wasn't in any real danger other than the water itself.

At the same time, a little girl was peeking her head out from behind a tree while watching them the entire time. She watched in awe as Lacy dove off the boulder with a perfect form. She even found it amazing how much fun she was having when she decided to be silly and do cannonballs and wacky gestures as she jumped into the water. When Lacy wanted to take a break, Zoro carried her over to the grassy ledge and looked passed her.

"Are you done gawking yet?"

Lacy turned around and saw the little girl scampering back behind the tree. "Oh! You knew there was someone watching?"

Zoro nodded. "You're already caught. Get out here."

The girl revealed herself and looked nervous. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy." She was short, smaller than Lacy, with tan skin and very light brown hair up in a short ponytail and green eyes. She was wearing a jean skirt that went down to her knees and a plain sky blue t-shirt. To complete the outfit was a pair of white slip on flats and a thick red bracelet.

Lacy smiled. "Hi! Who are you?"

She smiled shyly back. "My name's Marie. Who are you?"

"I'm Lacy and this is Zoro."

Marie bowed to them. "Please to meet you both! I'm sorry again for not showing myself earlier, but I was really impressed by your dives! You're amazing!"

Lacy couldn't help but blush. "R-Really? Thank you! I'm really not that great, just a lot of practice I guess. You like to dive too?"

"Oh yes! Very much! Swimming is my passion! But I never really had anyone to help or critique me on my dives so when I saw you, I thought maybe I could learn from what you did!"

"Aren't you a little young to be diving like her?" Zoro asked.

"What?! I'm 16 yrs. old thank you very much!"

Lacy's eyes widened. "You're 16?! Whoa! I thought you were a lot younger!"

"I-I get that a lot.. eh heh heh... I-If you don't mind me asking Lacy-san, could you please teach me how to dive properly?"

She blinked, caught off guard from her formality and request. "O-oh... Well, I really didn't take lessons or anything so I don't really know how to teach you..."

"I can just dive and you can tell me what I'm doing wrong. It'll be easy!"

"I guess that could work. Alright! I'd be honored! You can leave if you want, Zoro."

He looked back at her. "Huh? Why?"

"I'm sure this will be boring for you, so you don't have to stay and suffer."

"I don't care. Besides I'm still watching you."

She giggled. "Alright. You'll be our lifeguard."

He glared at her. "I'm only looking after YOU."

Marie happily got undressed and revealed a bathing suit underneath her clothes. Both of the girls went to the top of the waterfall and another 20 minutes passed by. Lacy critiqued and helped Marie with her diving. Most of the problem was not keeping her legs together, otherwise she got it down. She even tried to show her a couple new dives to spice things up. It was finally the time where Marie would practice the dive while Lacy watched and Zoro took a break from catching Lacy. He got out of the water and laid underneath a tree and closed his eyes to relax. Marie hurried up to the top to join Lacy and saw she was in a daze. To snap her out of it, she thought it'd be funny to play a trick.

She jumped up behind Lacy and pushed her gently over the boulder. "Gotcha!" She laughed.

"A-ah!" Lacy let out a loud gasp from the surprise before she hit the water.

Zoro opened his eyes and saw a large splash at the bottom. When he looked up he saw only Marie standing at the top, he knew what had happened. "Lacy!!" He ran as fast as he could and dove into the water after her. Seconds later they resurfaced and he carried her to shore. He got her out of the water and let her cough all the water out of her system. Marie rushed down to join them and looked over the blonde in shock.

"Oh my God! Are you alright, Lacy-san?!" Lacy nodded her head to reassure her, still coughing.

Zoro grabbed the girl by her arm and gripped it tight. "Don't you EVER pull a stupid stunt like that again, you hear me?!"

"Zoro!" Lacy finally said, getting back on her feet. "I'm fine... it was an accident."

"She pushed you off the friggin' waterfall!"

"I-I didn't mean to catch her so off guard like that though! I-It was a harmful joke!"

"A joke?! You thought it was funny?!"

"Zoro!" Lacy grabbed his arm and tried pulling it away from Marie. "It's ok I said! I use to do things like that all the time with my friends! She didn't know!"

"Know what?" Marie asked.

"I can't swim."

She stared at her for a moment before replying. "You... can't swim? I thought he was catching you because of an injury or conserving your strength or something!"

"No. She's a Devil's Fruit user. She can't swim anymore otherwise she'll sink like a Hammer."

Marie took a step back. "A D-Devil's Fruit user?!"

"Yeah. I ate the Mizu-Mizu no Mi." Marie took another step back. "What's wrong?"

She grew angry. "I can't believe I was taking lessons from a person who can't even swim! Especially a damn Devil's Fruit user!"

"Why? Did a Devil's Fruit user do something bad to you?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you! All you Devil's Fruit users ever do is think of yourselves higher than anyone else and exploit your abilities to hurt others! Just go away!"

Lacy's smile faded. "But... I use mine for good--"

"Get off our island! Now!"

Zoro gladly sneered at her and placed an arm over Lacy's shoulder. "C'mon, Lacy. This girl isn't worth the argument."

Not wanting to make anymore trouble, Lacy silently agreed and grabbed her bag. She took one last look at Marie and gave her an empathetic look. "I don't know what happened to you in your past, but I am sorry. I really am."

"Just go!"

And with that, Zoro and Lacy traveled back towards the Going Merry while Marie stood over the water shaking her fists.

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On the way back there was a storm starting to brew overhead. Zoro and Lacy arrived at the docks where Robin was reading a book. She looked up and noticed Lacy dripping wet with Zoro holding her in a protective manner.

"Is everything alright, Miss Artist? Mr. Swordsman?"

Zoro nodded. "We're fine."

She looked at Lacy, who she noticed was upset. "Miss Artist?"

"I'm fine. Apparently Devil's Fruit users aren't too welcome here."

Understanding, Robin smiled. "What do you expect? Most Fruit users are either marine officers or villainous pirates."

"I know... I just think it's horrible to judge someone like that though."

"I know the feeling."

Lacy remembered Robin's past and everything her and the crew were fighting for in the Water 7 and Enies Lobby saga from the anime. "Ya, I know."

Robin closed her book and started to disassemble her chair. "We better get inside. Miss Navigator says this storm is going to stay for the entire night."

They got inside and only minutes later it began to rain; and hard. Finding it dangerous for them to stay in the Going Merry with the rough waves, everyone gathered a few things and went to find a hotel to stay in until the weathered cleared. They found a vacant hotel faster than they thought and started hurrying inside when something caught Lacy's eye. She gasped and ran back outside without a word.

But Zoro noticed. "Lacy!" He poked his head out the door and saw her running fast back toward the docks. "Kuso...!" Zoro quickly told the others what was going on and decided to go after her. Chopper wanted to go too, so he followed alongside Zoro.

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Lacy arrived at the docks and found Marie on one of the ships standing on one of the ledges.

She yelled over the rain after her. "Marie-chan! Get down off of there! You're going to get yourself killed!!"

She looked down at her and yelled back. "I don't need a damn Devil's Fruit user to tell me what to do! Besides, this is my father's ship and I have dived off of this for years! So get lost!"

"You don't understand!" Lacy refused to give up. "This is a bad storm! You could be the best swimmer in the world and still be swept away by the ocean! Now get down!"

She smirked. "That's some fancy talk coming from someone who can't even tread water when it's bright and sunny!"

She couldn't help but feel a little bit offended, but shrugged it off for her sake. "Just please get down from there!"

"I said go away you stupid-- AAH!"

"MARIE-CHAN!!"

Marie slipped off the railing thanks to a wave that crashed high enough on the ship to splash against her. One of the ropes from the mast caught itself around her ankle as she fell into the water. Lacy quickly ran on the ship and dove in, using another rope from the mast for her anchor. Already feeling herself grow weak, she saw Marie struggling to untie the rope around her ankle with bubbles slowly fading from her mouth. Lacy quickly used the rope to get closer and used whatever strength she had left to help untie her. She was great with knots, so no matter how tight or complicated the knot was, she was able to untie it. And luckily she did. She wrapped the rope around Marie's waist instead and wrapped the other rope around her own. By the time she did all of this her strength was completely drained and her air was gone. She faded into the darkness of the ocean while Marie slowly floated to the top.

Zoro saw what happened in the distance and hurried over to the ship and dove in after both of them. When he landed in the water, he saw Marie unconscious, but heading towards the surface. He noticed the rope around her waist and it looked as if she was being pulled up. _Wait a minute...!_ He looked further down and saw another rope being pulled down where Lacy was. He then noticed a rope wrapped around her waist. His eyes widened. _Did she just...?! She actually made a pulley out of herself and the rope to save that Marie girl! _Already knowing the girl would be safe, he swam as fast as he could after his love. He finally reached her, tore off the rope, and swam her unconscious body back to the ship. As soon as he gasped for air, he saw Chopper had already helped Marie into the docks and performed CPR.

When Marie came to, she saw Chopper smiling at her. She screamed and crawled back. "W-W-What the heck is that?!?"

"Never mind that!" Zoro snapped at her as he swam toward the docks. "Help pull her up!"

Without a second thought, she grabbed Lacy's arms and pulled her onto the docks while Zoro helped lift her up. He got out of the water and already started performing CPR and pumping Lacy's chest. She finally coughed up a mouthful of water and turned onto her side. When she was done, she looked around as if she lost something important.

"Marie-chan! Zoro, where's Marie-chan?!"

He sighed, thankful she was alright. "Baka! I told you earlier to not be reckless when swimming!"

She ignored him the moment she saw Marie was alive and safe. She crawled over to her and grabbed her shoulders. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

Marie just stared at her, not knowing what to say. "I-I..."

"Can we get out of here?!" Zoro yelled over the storm. "This isn't the time or the place to chat! The storm's getting worse so let's move it!!"

--------------------------------------------------

They ran back to the hotel and invited Marie in to warm up and dry herself off. Lacy, Zoro, and Chopper did the same as all four of them wrapped themselves in warm towels. Finally, Marie broke the ice.

"I-I... um... Thank you."

Lacy looked up at her and smiled. "You're welcome."

"Why did you do that? Why did you save me after all I said to you?"

"Did you honestly think I was going to let you die over something as stupid as a misunderstanding? I'm not cold-hearted."

"But I said all those awful things and nearly got you killed..."

She walked over to her and placed a hand on Marie's shoulder. "I just wanted to show you that not all Devil's Fruit users are bad. Even if it meant risking my life."

Zoro chuckled and it caught Sanji's attention. "And what's so funny, marimo head?"

He pointed at Lacy. "Her. Instead of using her draining strength to save herself, she instead made a pulley out of the ship's ropes and decided to save that girl who insulted her instead."

Marie's eyes widened. "T-That's what you were doing?! I-I didn't know... Even though you couldn't swim, you still tried to save me..."

She stuck her tongue out. "I have to admit it was quite clever for myself." She laughed. "Like I said, I wasn't going to let you drown. Not on my watch."

Marie finally smiled back. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I've been hurt too many times from Devil's Fruit users that I just got it into my head that ALL users are bad."

"Unfortunately most of them are... but none of us are bad!"

"Huh?"

Lacy pointed back at her nakama. "Aside from me, we've got 3 other Devil's Fruit users in this crew and we all use it for good."

"Souka..." She knelt her head. "I don't think I could ever make it up to you for what I've said and what you have done for me. I'm sorry... If it's any constellation, our village has been attacked by many Devil's Fruit users for many years when pirates passed through here, so I was just being on guard. But it got the best of me... is there anything I can do to repay you?"

She just patted her back. "Just promise me you won't be so judgmental. Oh! And work on your dives."

Marie smiled back and nodded. "Thank you, I will! Which reminds me... you said you ate the Mizu-Mizu no Mi. Can I... see it? After all, I love water."

"Of course!" Lacy gladly accepted. "I'd love to show you~!"

For the rest of the night Marie and Lacy talked and every once in a while had her and the other crew members show off their abilities for her. They laughed and laughed until they were too tired and passed out.

--------------------------------------------------

The next morning was bright and sunny. With the storm gone and the Log Pose finally locked on to the next island, the crew loaded up the Going Merry and set sail. Lacy and Marie said their good-byes and Marie even stayed at the dock to wave good-bye to them.

As they sailed on the ocean, Zoro checked up on Lacy in their room. "You ok in there?" Zoro asked, knocking before entering.

"Ya I'm fine. Come in."

Zoro walked through the door and found Lacy admiring an unfamiliar necklace wrapped around her hand. "What's that?"

She held it up for him to see. "This is a gift from Marie-chan. I told her I love necklaces and she gave this to me. Isn't it beautiful?"

The necklace was small and circular in shape. It was a purplish-blue color that glimmered in the light. It was cut out in the middle with a swirling motion on the inside almost like a Ying-Yang symbol. He touched it and felt it's chilled, smooth texture. "What is it?"

"It's crystal. It's a common gem found in the coral reefs around this island. I absolutely love it!"

"So you really forgave her for what she said?"

"Well, I can't say I'm happy with all she said, but she had her reasons. Besides, I don't want an innocent death on my hands."

"You're way too forgiving."

"I can't help it. I have a very strong and mixed up conscience. It'd hate myself if I let anything happen to her."

He walked up behind her and gave her a warm hug. "You're very thoughtful, you know that?"

She smiled. "I really do try."

He chuckled. "I know."


	36. Ch35: Redtail Bandits Part 1: Posters

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**CHAPTER 35: The Redtail Bandits (Part 1: Wanted Posters)**

---

It was a cold cloudy morning when Lacy woke up. She was freezing and discovered half the sheets had fallen off the bed, exposing her feet to the chilly air. She got up with the bed comforter wrapped tightly around her and walked upstairs. When she opened the door to the kitchen, Zoro and Sanji were in the middle of another bad argument.

"WHY THE HELL DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?!" Zoro shouted in Sanji's face.

"BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE TO BE EVEN _MORE_ CAREFUL!!" Sanji shouted back. Their faces were so close to each other, their noses almost touched.

"SINCE WHEN DO _YOU _CALL HER WEAK?!"

"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT SHE'S IN THIS SITUATION!!"

"_MY _FAULT?! IT'S THE DAMN MARINES FAULT, YOU WOMANIZING BASTARD!!"

"GREEN TEA HEADED ASSHOLE!!"

"QUESTION MARK BROW!!"

"SEA URCHIN!!"

"Anou..." Both of their heads turned and saw Lacy looking nervous in the doorway. "U-um... what are you two fighting about now?" She asked.

"AH~!! Morning, Lacy-chwa~!!"

Zoro sat down and turned his head away, crossing his arms. "It's nothing."

"The hell it's nothing!" Sanji snapped. He picked up a piece of paper from the table and showed it to Lacy. "_This _is what's were arguing about!"

"WHA?!?!" Lacy snatched the paper from his hand and scanned it thoroughly. Her eyes were wide and her jaw went slack. "WHEN DID _THIS _HAPPEN?!?!"

"What's going on?" Yawned Luffy as he joined Zoro at the table.

"LOOK AT THIS!!" Lacy shoved the paper in front of Luffy's face. He leaned back, surprised at her assertiveness.

Luffy began to laugh. "Hahahaha!! That's great!!"

"GREAT?!" Sanji hit Luffy on the head hard. "There's nothing great about it, you dolt!!"

"Fighting this early?" Nami and the rest walked into the kitchen.

"Hee hee!! Lacy's wanted~!" Smiled Luffy.

"Huh?" Nami took the piece of paper out of Lacy's hand and took a moment to look at it. Like Lacy, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "YOU HAVE A WANTED POSTER NOW?!"

The poster showed Lacy smiling in a sneaky manner and a few blood trails running down her face. Her hair looked as if it was blowing in the wind, and there was gun smoke and trees in the background.

"When was that taken?" Asked Robin, now holding the poster.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Lacy shouted in a depressed tone.

"Wait a minute..." Robin paused. "I think this was when we encountered the Navy last time."

"That was about 3 months ago, wasn't it?" Guessed Chopper.

"More like 4." Corrected Usopp.

"It doesn't matter how long ago it was! They took her picture and now Lacy-chan's a wanted pirate!" Exclaimed Sanji.

"Well, she _is _a pirate." Commented Usopp.

"Did you see her reward?" Asked Robin, facing the poster towards the others.

Everyone looked at the bottom and their eyes bulged.

"$45,000,000 BERRIES?!?!"

"AAAAAH!!!!" Lacy screamed and slammed her head on the table.

Everyone paused and looked at Lacy, trying to give her sympathy. After a while, they stood closer to her shaking body and looked puzzled.

"Lacy...?" Chopper poked her in the shoulder. Her body still shook, but some odd muffling noises grew louder from her.

Nami took a step back. "No...!"

"S-s-s-she's not really...!" Stuttered Usopp.

"She's laughing!" Shouted Luffy, laughing along with her.

Lacy lifted up her head and rested it on her hands. "Hahahaha! I now have my own wanted poster! This is SO cool~!"

"You think this is cool?!" Questioned Nami.

"Aren't you upset?!" Asked Sanji.

"Hee hee! I was shocked at first, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that this is going to be fun~!"

"FUN?! OH MY GOD!!" Nami slapped her head and sat down as if her legs were going to give.

"Yeah! I mean, the marines think I'm dangerous! It's a compliment to me~! And my head's worth a lot! More than I would ever think. I'm almost in the middle of everyone else's bounties, so I'm about as dangerous as everyone here~!" She looked at Zoro and gave him a big pleasant smile.

He gave her a surprised look at first, then smirked. "Hn. So this is amusing to you?" He finally said after a long time.

She nodded. "Well, yeah! I'm a little nervous now that I'm wanted, but like I said, it could be fun~!"

"I TOLD you, idiot!" Zoro smiled at Sanji.

"SHUT UP!!" Sanji snapped back.

"But why where you guys fighting?" Asked Lacy.

"Because the damn cook-" Sanji threw him an angry glance, "-thought you would be scared and that it was me who endangered you."

"Oh. Well, it was nice of you to think of me." She said to Sanji. "But I'm getting stronger, so I'm more confident in looking after myself."

"See?" Zoro said to Sanji, still smiling.

"Pssh! Whatever!" He spat.

"Besides, remember what happened back at the marine headquarters when Usopp and I were captured then escaped? I took care of Captain Hina's fleet with my abilities, so going against a great captain like Hina is a big deal to the Government. It was to be expected at some point."

"But what's this nickname they've given you here..." Nami pointed out at the bottom of the poster. "Looks like they're calling you 'Blue Siren Lacy'."

"'Blue Siren Lacy'? As in the mythological creatures of women singing songs to lure ships and their sailors to their death? Like I sort of did with my whirlpool technique when I trapped Hina's ships in the middle of the ocean?" She squealed with happiness. "This is awesome!! I even have a nickname for the marines! A hostorical nickname! I hope this catches on!"

"Ok... you are enjoying this WAY too much..." Usopp sweat dropped.

--------------------------------------------------

The crew was caught in a rough storm later that afternoon. With high winds and thick fog, they were unable to sail very far. Instead, they found an island that came into view and decided to stop there til the storm lifted.

When they ported, they spotted a town about half a mile away from them. But on their way to the town, they were stopped by some bandits.

"Heh heh heh! Where do you think _you're _all going, eh?" One of the bandits sneered. All of them wore red bandanas and tattoos on their shoulders, revealing a red hawk. They ignored them and walked passed them.

"H-HEY! We're talking to you!!" Said another bandit. He reached out and grabbed Lacy by the shoulder and spun her around so she'd face him. "W-wait a minute!" Lacy just stared at him, unafraid. He took out a piece of torn paper and kept glancing at it then back at her a couple times.

Another bandit came behind him and stared at the paper. His face went pale. "You're that wanted pirate! Lacy Joseph!! It's Blue Siren Lacy!!" He exclaimed.

"Actually," Lacy responded with a smile, "it's _Roronoa _Lacy. But my maiden name works just as well." Zoro snickered.

"You're head is mine!" The bandit took at his sword and raised it to his head, and stopped to stare at the rest of the crew. "Y-y-you're Mugiwara Luffy! And Pirate Hunter Zoro! And Nico Robin!!" They looked at the rest of the crew and shook. "You're all here?!"

They smiled at them with evil grins; Luffy's grin, of course, was care-free.

"This is great! What luck!" Another bandit cheered. "All of the most wanted criminals are here at once!! With their deaths, we'll be too rich to stand it! We could retire!"

"Let's get 'em!" Another bandit yelled.

All of the bandits yelled and ran after them with their swords drawn. As the bandits came closer, Luffy took action.

"Gumo gumo no.... WHIP!!" He swung his stretched leg around and knocked some of the bandits. Some of them managed to jump over in time and split into 3 directions.

Some went after Zoro, who only drew 2 of his swords and swung in a circle. "Tsumaki!" He yelled, sending his opponents flying into the air.

The others went after Sanji, who merely break-danced as they got close enough, knocking them out. The rest of them tried to go after the rest of the crew, but Luffy stretched and punched them all out. The few who were conscious, cowered in fear and ran away.

"T-T-They're strong!!" A bandit screamed.

"What are we going to tell the boss?!" Another said.

"Boss?" Nami said out loud. By the time she spoke, the bandits disappeared over a hill.

"They weren't much of a challenge. How boring." Pouted Lacy.

"Just some bandits who think they're better than everyone else." Zoro marked.

"Let's just get going." Nami said.

--------------------------------------------------

They finally arrived in town a few minutes later. It was empty with no one in sight. The wind blew through the bare streets as the crew walked down through the town.

"Where is everyone?" Asked Chopper. Just then, they heard a woman gasp and shut the windows she was peeking out of.

"Looks like there _are _people here." Sanji pointed out.

"Must be another town that's afraid of pirates." Robin guessed.

Suddenly, a small child ran out into the streets, giggling. Then his mom came out and panicked as she grabbed him. "No, Marcus!" She shouted. "Not now!"

"Excuse me!" Shouted Luffy in a happy tone. The woman gasped and tried to restrain the excited child.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Nami reassured the woman, but she just ran away. "Wait! We're not here to hurt anyone!"

Luffy stretched out his arms and grabbed the woman and the child at the same time and sprung them back. The woman shrieked.

"PLEASE! SPARE US!! MY SON DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER! PLEASE SPARE HIM!!"

"We're not going to hurt you!" Nami said again.

"Really! We're not bad!" Lacy backed her up.

Some men came out with guns pointed at them. There were too many of them.

"We're not here to cause trouble. "Sanji said in a cool voice. Usopp had already hidden behind him.

"Get out of here, Redtail Bandits!! Let her go!!" One of the men shouted.

"Redtail Bandits?" Robin repeated.

"We're not Redtail Bandits!" Chopper shouted.

"Do you think we're stupid? We're not falling for that!"

"WAIT!!"

The woman Luffy had grabbed ran out in front of the men and held out her arms. "They're not part of the Redtail Bandits!"

"Get over here, Mary! They're tricking us!" A man called out to her.

"They're really not! They don't have the marks! Or the bandanas!"

"Don't be silly, Mary! 3 of them have bandanas and one of them are dressed in red! Plus that one girl has a tattoo on her shoulder!"

The men were referring to Usopp, Zoro, and Lacy with the bandanas. Luffy examined his red shirt while Nami felt offended by her tattoo.

"Her tattoo isn't a red hawk! And their bandanas aren't red! All the the Redtail bandits expose their tattoos no matter what, remember?"

The men stared at her for a moment, then lowered their rifles. They ran over to her, putting up their guard and taking her and the child away from them.

"Who are you strangers?" One man snapped at them.

"Ore wa Luffy~!" Luffy smiled wide.

"We got caught in a storm and docked just outside of town. We needed a place to stay til the storm lifts. Is that alright?" Nami asked politely.

"You're Mugiwara Luffy!" A man exclaimed.

"You're pirates?!" Asked another man.

"But we're not bad! Honest!" Chopper explained.

"Filthy pirates!" The men held up their rifles again. "It's bad enough to have the Redtail Bandits terrorizing the town, but now the Straw-Hat pirates?! Get out of town or we'll shoot!"

Lacy took a step forward. "But we're–"

"Shut up, you no good pirate! Leave now!" A man cut her off.

"Hold it."

Everyone turned around and pointed their attention to an old man. He had a long white beard and hair with a bald spot on the top. He had bushy white eyebrows and walked hunched over with a cane.

"Let them be. They're not here to harm us."

"But Elder–!"

The old man held up his hand. "I can sense their good will. They have good intentions."

"Pirates?! With good intentions?!" A man exclaimed.

"Silence!" The old man shouted. He turned around and faced Luffy and the others. "I apologize for these men's behavior."

"I-It's ok. We're sort of use to this kind of reaction when we say we're pirates." Nami said in a shaky tone.

"Please, come with me to my home. You are welcome to stay there as long as you like."

He led them to an old hut near the end of town. Some of the men with guns followed closely behind them in case something bad happened. Once everyone was inside the hut, the old man offered them tea and seats.

"Please make yourself comfortable." He said, lighting a fire.

"Excuse me ojii-san, but who are you?" Asked Robin.

"I am Kunui, the town's high Elder. And who are you young people?"

"Ore wa Luffy~!" Luffy introduced himself again.

"Ore wa Usopp!!" Usopp said proudly.

"I'm Nami. And this is Sanji-kun, Zoro, Lacy, Chopper, and Robin."

"Who are the Redtail Bandits?" Lacy asked, curious from after all the bandit talk in the streets.

The Elder sighed and sat down near the fire. No one said a word and waited patiently for the old man to speak. "The Redtail Bandits are powerful men who have been massacring our town for about a year now."

"Why?" Sanji asked.

The Elder shook his head. "We're not sure. But they seem to be looking for something. Something hidden within this town."

"How do you know?" Usopp asked.

"Because they tear apart our homes and scurry around with wide eyes and scanning faces. They keep repeating over and over that we're hiding 'it' here."

"And they've been around for about a year?!" Nami said with a shock.

He nodded. "Yes. But they've become more powerful and their numbers in members keep increasing. Their trademarks are red bandanas and tattoos on their arms with a red tribal hawk. They're ruled under a terrible group of 3 men with incredible powers."

"What kind of powers?" Asked Luffy anxiously.

"Their strength is unimaginable and the leader out of the three of them has eaten the cursed Devil's Fruit. We cannot fight them, not with just guns alone. Too many men have been killed and injured in the hands of those 3 terrible men and bandits."

"That's horrible..." Lacy said in a low voice.

The Elder nodded again. "It is. But there's nothing we can do. We can only pray that they find what they're looking for as soon as possible and leave our once peaceful town."

"Hey! Maybe Robin can help you~!" Suggested Chopper.

"Robin?" Repeated the Elder.

"I'm an archeologist." Robin explained. "I might be able to help figure out what they're looking for. Are there any legends or ruins around here that may be of use?"

He pondered for a moment. "I believe we do. We have one set of ruins a couple miles Southeast of town. I can take you there and see what we can find."

"In the meantime we can deal with the lackeys while Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro can deal with the three other men!" Nami smiled.

Lacy glared at her. "Once again, you talk like only the man can handle the situation."

"What? Don't they always? Besides, they're the strongest in our crew. Isn't it better to just let them do all the work?"

"No. I think me and Robin are perfectly capable of dealing with the powerful baddies. Hell, even you can handle some."

"A-Anyways..." Zoro interrupted, "let's just find out what the hell the bandits want as soon as possible and get off this island."

"So we're really going to help these people?" Chopper asked.

"We have no choice even if we wanted to." He pointed at Luffy. "The captain wouldn't let us walk away from this."

Luffy smiled. "That's right! It's gonna be an adventure~!"

Elder Kunui bowed to the crew. "T-Thank you so much young ones! I didn't even ask for help and yet you are already willing to get rid of those nasty men. Thank you!"

Suddenly, the door swung and one of the villagers spoke in panic. "E-Elder! T-the Redtail Bandits are back!"

The old man stood up. "Already?! S-So soon?!"

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Looks like they came to us! Lucky~!"

Everyone walked outside and saw a hoard of men wearing red bandanas running on horses to the village. The yelled out their cries of attack as they drew closer and closer with each moment. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji walked in front of the village in battle ready position as if they were on automatic. Lacy couldn't help but feel a little left out. She walked up behind Zoro and tugged his haramaki.

"Ne... Zoro? Can't I help?"

"No need. We'll be done here in a few seconds."

She knelt her head. "You guys don't always have to 'take care' of things. i can help too."

"I know, but it's just easier if we just did it."

Anger began to take over her emotions. "What is that suppose to mean?"

Before he could answer the bandits were right outside of the village. Like millions of times before, the guys dealt the the bad guys; Luffy went along with his usual "Gum Gum Gatling Gun", while Sanji used his "Party Table Kick Course" whipping kick attacks, and Zoro with his usual "Hawk Wave" to send a wave of energy towards the enemy. Within in a matter of moments like always, the enemy was easily defeated.

While Luffy and the others went towards the defeated men to gather some information, Zoro noticed Lacy's sudden change in body language and was curious.

"What's wrong?"

She kept walking. "Nothing."

"The hell it's nothing. You're deliberately ignoring me now. Was it something I said?"

"Maybe."

"Lacy!"

"Hey guys! I found the location of the three men in charge!" Nami waved to everyone.

After some scary persuasion, Nami managed to not only make the man tell them where the three leaders were, but a vague description of what they were searching for.

Robin pondered for a moment. "_Sangre Coral_... the blood ruby, huh?"

"Ever heard of it, Robin?" Nami asked.

She shook her head. "Not much. all I know about it is that it is a cursed ruby that has the ability to absorb the power of the World and add it to its owner possessed by the ruby."

Nami's eyes glittered. "I just want the gem to add to my collection~! I must have it~!"

"So lets go to their location already!"

--------------------------------------------------

Everyone except Robin and Chopper went to the location the bandit had told where the leaders were hiding. Robin and Chopper went off with Elder Kunui to some ruins that could maybe help them find the location of the blood ruby. The hideout was on the side of a mountain, not too far away from the village itself. Of course being a hideout, bandits were guarding the entrance and the inside, which Luffy and the others took care of instantly as they made their way inside. With a little bit of help gathering directions from the beaten bandits, the crew ran to the room where they found two men waiting for them in a long narrow room.

The man to the left was tall with long, bang less straight blonde hair that fell nearly to his knees. He had dark narrow eyes with triangular marks running down the side of his face. He dressed a lot like a traditional French nobleman with the boots, gloves, tight pants, and fruity red jacket with the ruffled shirt. He didn't have the big fancy hat with the feather in it, but he did carry a rapier tied around his waist. The other man was large and built like a tank; and square like one too. He was fairly tall with large black eyes, pouty lips, and hair like a sumo wrestler. He was wearing a short brown leather jacket that was too small for his body and shape. He wore a blue sash around his waist, loose tan pants with ankle high boots to complete his look. His look was intimidating compared to the calm serene look of the other slender man.

"Who are you?" The blonde man asked.

"How did you get in here?!" The large man asked in an offensive tone.

"Get off this island!" Nami ordered them.

Usopp hid behind Zoro, but tried to sound brave. "O-O-Or at least m-m-move f-far away from that v-village nearby!!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that."

"Yeah! We're looking for something very important, so beat it chumps!"

"And who exactly are you?" Sanji asked, lighting himself a fresh cigarette.

The blonde man bowed. "I am Furonto. And that is Bakku."

"Get the hell out of here or we'll pumble ya!"

Bakku's corny insults was starting make Lacy reminisce the lingo from the early 90s. "Look, just get lost, ok?"

Foronto eyed the short woman. "Ah. I thought I recognized you. You have the newest bounty released from the World Government. You're Blue Siren Lacy."

She couldn't help but smile, happy to see her new pirate name was becoming known. "Well, anyways, get lost."

Nami glared at her crew mate's gleaming face and sighed. "You're really enjoying this aren't you?" Lacy just playfully stuck her tongue out.

"Let's just kick their asses and get it over with." Zoro said, unsheathing his swords.

Foronto clenched his sword and in a flash, both him and Zoro clashed swords together. "Pirate Hunter Zoro. I have been wondering what your santoryuu style looked like in person. Let's see how skillful you really are."

"Enough!" A voice called from the shadows.

Foronto backed off and placed his rapier back in his sheath. He turned his attention toward the back of the room and bowed. "As you wish."

"Huh?" Luffy squinted in the darkness, trying to find a shape or figure. "I think someone's sitting in a throne or something."

"Show yourself!" Sanji ordered.

The chair turned around, revealing the face to the voice.

Lacy's eyes went wide. "O-Oh my God... It's you!"

--------------------------------------------------

"This way."

Elder Kunui lead Chopper and Robin down into some underground ruins on the other side of the village. The walls were covered in pictographs and an ancient language. Robin went right to work examining and deciphering the ruins while Chopper and the Elder stood back. Many minutes went by and chopper couldn't help but get a little bit bored. He walked around the ruins and looked in awe at all the pictures. He stopped at one particular picture that looked vaguely like a storyboard. The more he stared at it, the more it seemed to catch his interest.

"Ne, Robin. I think I found something interesting."

She walked over and knelt down by him, placing her hand over the frail clay. "I think you're right, sensei."

"Really?" The little deer seemed pleased to have unintentionally help.

Robin scanned the storyboard and tried piecing together the story it was telling about the ruby. Suddenly her eyes went wide with fear and her jaw dropped. "This... This is...!"

"W-What is it Robin?"

She quickly glanced over at Elder Kunui and swallowed. "The _Sangre Coral_'s location... it's...!"


	37. Ch36: Redtail Bandits Part 2: Determine

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**CHAPTER 36: The Redtail Bandits (Part 2: Determination)**

---

Elder Kunui bowed his head, knowing that Robin had figured out the whereabouts of the _Sangre Coral_, blood ruby. "So, you were able to read the markings on the ruin walls after all..."

Robin swallowed. "I can't believe it... this whole time while the Redtail bandits have been looking for the _Sangre Coral _ruby, _you _had it all along."

Chopper looked up at Robin. "EH?! But how?!"

Elder held up his right palm and removed the bandages around it. Embedded in his palm was a large gem. Robin's eyes widened. "So the markings are true...! The blood ruby is passed down to the Elders."

He nodded. "I'm afraid so. We are the keepers of the ruby, my entire family, for many many generations. A special ceremony is held when we come of age and the gem is passed down to the next protector by surgically placing the ruby in our right palm."

"I-I don't understand..." Chopper said. "I thought the ruby was suppose to give unworldly power to whoever owns it."

"Only a woman can own it's power." Robin mentioned.

The Elder nodded. "I'm impressed with your knowledge from this little ruin alone, young lady. But yes, only a woman can possess the ruby. Which is why only male heirs were chosen to protect the stone."

"But why women?" Chopper asked.

"It is based off of a very old legend. There was a Goddess that came to Earth with a pink gem embedded in her forehead. She was envious of the humans and wanted to learn and live among them. But in those dark times, many wars raged upon the human world and it upset the Goddess. She found the hearts of men to be cruel and merciless and it angered her with each day. She released the gem's power unto the world and nearly destroyed everything. The Goddess was always and curious and sweet woman, so her sudden change in heart changed the ruby's power as well and was tainted with the blood of all the human souls it had destroyed. It then became the _Sangre Coral_ and turned into the blood ruby it is now. It was then the Goddess decided to leave the ruby behind in the human world to the women so that if war was to come around again, it could be used to wipe everything out."

The deer nodded to his story. "But why only women?"

"The Goddess saw women and children the victims of war and so she pitied them. She never wanted anyone to be involved with such a horrible mess and so she entrusted women only to control the ruby's power. It is said she gave the ruby to our town's priestess, who was my ancestor."

"Which explains why it has been passed down in your family for generations." Robin noted.

The Elder nodded. "Our family have always trusted women to the ruby, but just in case they were blinded by greed and power, our ancestors decided to have male protectors so we could not be easily swayed."

Choppers ears twitched and he turned around to see what was behind him and noticed he was by the ruin's entrance. "Hmm... guess it was nothing."

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy pointed at the figure and shook. "I-It's you...! How did you escape the World Government?!"

The figured smiled and posed. "My escape is well known even to you horrible Straw-Hat pirates."

Nami began to sweat and took a step back. "I-I can't believe you're still here!"

Luffy and the others looked at the girls with a raised eyebrow. "Who is that?"

Lacy put up her guard. "A member of the Barque Works: Miss Doublefinger!"

The woman laughed as she came further out from the shadows. She was a very tall slender woman with pouty lips and frizzy blue hair. She wore black skin tight pants that flared over her high heels. She wore black arm gloves and a thick choker. Instead of her spider-web halter top, she had a navy corset that wasn't completely tied in the front so a lot of cleavage was showing. She walked towards the pirates, the weird way she walked with her hips swaying dramatically from side to side and one foot directly in front of the other. "And how did you know I was a member of the Barque Works?" She asked innocently.

Lacy rolled her eyes, knowing she couldn't explain the real reason so she made up a logical one instead. "The Barque Works organization shattered when the Straw-Hat pirates took care of you guys one by one. So you made the pages in the paper. But you escaped?!"

She cackled. Yes, cackled. "Of course I did~ The stupidity of man always amazes me. All they need to see is some nude female skin and they are putty in your hands~."

In unison Nami and Lacy glared over at Sanji, understanding what she meant perfectly. Nami still looked at her nervously. "So what could you possibly want with the blood ruby?"

She raised an eyebrow. "The_ Sangre Coral_? What else? To gain it's power and become irresistible to this world~!" Lacy tried to contain her laughter, but Miss Doublefinger noticed. "And is so funny, little girl?!"

She tried to be serious. Still failed. "Nothing, nothing. It's just that... well, can you really not think of any other reason to have it's power? I mean, becoming 'irresistible' is so cliché."

Sanji twirled with hearts in his eyes. "She's already irresistible to me~!! Ah~ how lovely she is~!"

Nami hit him over the head. "Shut up, baka! She's the enemy so for once don't drool! For God's sake she tried to kill me back in Alabasta!"

"Alabasta?!" Sanji stood back up and changed his expression. "That changes everything then. There's no way I can forgive her for hurting Nami-san."

Zoro rolled his eyes. "But there's no reason to waste our time with her when none of us know where that ruby is--"

"My Lady! My Lady!" A member of the Redtail bandits ran into the room and a large smile on his face. "Great news! We found the location of the ruby!"

Everyone's eyes went wide. "NANI?!"

Miss Doublefinger grinned from ear to ear. "Excellent!" She turned toward her two strongest men. "Furonto! Bakku! Go with him and fetch my ruby!"

They both bowed to her. "Yes, My Lady." And with that, they left in a flash.

"O-Oi!!" Luffy began to ran after them. "Sanji! Usopp! We've got to follow them! I have a feeling Robin and Chopper are in trouble!"

"Un!" Sanji and Usopp followed behind and ran after the men as fast as they could, leaving the others alone with Miss Doublefinger.

She laughed. "Do you honestly think you can stop my men from finding the ruby? I _will_ have it's power!" She snapped her fingers and Redtail bandits came out from all corners of the room and lined up in front of her. "I have no time to waste with you. Get them."

The bandits obeyed and attacked. Nami took a step back and allowed Zoro and Lacy to fight them instead.

Lacy glared over at Zoro and let her guard drop. He noticed. "What are you doing?"

"Oh by all means please fight them. I'm sure you can handle it by yourself."

"Haah?! What are you talking about? What's gotten into you?!"

She huffed and backed off. "You can handle anything by yourself. So go for it."

"What brought this up--" Before he could finish his sentence, the men were on top of them and he fought them off. He looked over at Lacy who was casually looking at her fingernails and polishing them on her shirt while Nami just looked nervous back and forth between them. "Lacy! What gives?!"

"Hm? Oh I'm sorry I thought you were capable of fighting everyone off."

"What?! When did I ever--" He finally remembered. "Dammit Lacy! You know what I meant! I didn't even mention anything that was referred to men or women!"

She shrugged. "Sounded sexist to me."

He continued to fight the men off alone. "C'mon, Lacy! I was only saying we've done it a millions times. We've got a routine where Luffy and Sanji and I get the job done alone!"

"So you think I'm capable of fighting off a hoard of bad guys too?" She asked, her tone waiting for a confession.

"Of course! I know you're strong! Now help me!"

Satisfied, she joined in and quickly defeated the men with her ever improving kodachi skills. She looked over at him and taunted him with a victorious smile. "Apology accepted."

Miss Doublefinger sighed, as if already predicting their defeat. "I knew you were strong enough to defeat them, but the performance was terrible."

"We're not here to entertain you!" Nami snapped at her.

Her face twisted with anger the moment Nami spoke. "I cannot believe you are here standing before me after what you've done to me! A lesson well learned!" She extended her arm and a spike shot out and pierced Nami in the shoulder. She cried out in pain and fell back against a wall while she bled.

"Nami!!" Lacy ran over to her and examined her shoulder. "Y-You're going to be ok! It's just your shoulder, Chopper can fix this in a jiffy!" She looked back at Miss Doublefinger and saw half of her body had formed into spikes. "That's low aiming for her without a warning! Especially when you're holding a grudge!" She held Nami in her arms while she spoke.

She laughed. "I don't play by any honorable rules, silly girl!"

"Omae...!!" Zoro unsheathed his swords and charged at Miss Double finger. She shot spikes out at him, but he was able to cut through them and dodge the remaining spikes. He got close to her and aimed for her neck, but they turned into thick spikes and stopped his swords in their tracks. "Nani?!" He jumped back and caught his breath. "What the hell are you?"

_T__hat's right! He doesn't know what her ability is!_ Lacy remembered. "She ate the Toge Toge no Mi, Zoro! She can turn any part of her body into spikes and she can even extend and shorten its length! So be on your guard always!"

"Kuso!" He jumped back as she attacked him again with her spikes. "This is going to be very troublesome...!"

"Ugh...."

Lacy turned her attention back at Nami and saw that she had passed out in her arms. "Nami?! Nami!" She looked back at Zoro and Miss Doublefinger's fight. "Nami's passed out, Zoro! She's losing blood fast! We need Chopper here soon!"

"I'm a little busy right now!" Zoro huffed. Thanks to Miss Doublefinger's fruit ability, Zoro was having a hard time getting close to her. Plus her extendable spikes are even more worrisome. "Dammit! Take this!" He swung his fist at her, frustrated that his swords were doing nothing productive.

Lacy's eyes widened. "Zoro! Don't!"

Miss Doublefinger grinned. "Sea Urchin Stinger!!" She ducked and turned her hair into an afro of spikes and Zoro stabbed his own fist into them. He yelled in pain and rolled back as he held his bleeding hand.

"Baka! What the hell do you think you're doing?! I told you she can turn into spikes!"

"I know that!" He hissed in pain. "But if I'm going to do any damage to her I'm going to have to make sacrifices!"

"Oh really, Mr. Swordsman? Are you willing to make many sacrifices? Stinger Finger!" She turned her fingers into lances and charged at Zoro. He dodged, but was caught off guard when she threw spikes at him. He was cornered and growing weaker by the minutes from blood loss.

"Dammit...!" He groaned. "I've lost more blood than this and this pathetic hand wound is draining my energy?!"

Lacy realized what was happening. "Masaka...! Her drug...!"

Miss Doublefinger laughed. "I'm surprised you know about that girlie~ But yes, he absorbed some of my drug."

Zoro looked up at her. "Drug...?"

"Wait! I thought your drug enhanced your muscles like a steroid! Not a poison!"

"It can work either way." She answered. "My drug has the ability to enhance muscle mass or deplete it."

Lacy gulped. "No way...!"

"Shit..." He huffed. "This is even more troublesome..."

"Zoro lookout!!"

He looked up and saw several spikes aiming for him. He fell over to dodge them, but Miss Doublefinger's other spiked hand stabbed his sides and caught him. He cried out in pain as she stabbed him with her free hand and hit two of his vital points in his shoulders. "What the..?!"

"ZORO!!"

She laughed again. "My drug is so wonderful to affect you this quickly thanks to how build you already are~. But you're lucky to dodge my spikes. I only hit two of your vital points instead of five. How lucky of you. But your luck has run out!"

She stood up and turned her fists into spiked balls and hit them together like boxing gloves. She yelled and went to punch him while extending her spikes. Zoro couldn't help but wait for the hit to come, willing to take the punch for now. But something was wrong. After a few seconds of no impact or pain, Zoro opened his eyes and saw a figure standing over him with arms extended. His eyes went wide with terror and he began to sweat. "LACY!!" Before he could say anything else or save her more, he passed out.

--------------------------------------------------

"Robin!!"

Chopper jumped out of the way of the fight while Robin protected Elder Kunui from Foronto and Bakku.

"Who are these men?" Robin asked the Elder.

He hid behind her. "They are one of the three strongest men of the Redtail Bandits! Foronto and Bakku!"

"Our lady demands the _Sangre Coral_ from you old man!" Bakku smiled. "Now give it up!"

Foronto unsheathed his sword. "Or we will just carve it out of your hand or take the entire hand with us. Either way we will have that ruby."

"How did they know the ruby's location?!" Elder panicked.

"I thought I heard someone eavesdropping!" Chopper said nervously. "Someone was hiding outside of the ruins!"

"MATTE!!!" Luffy ran straight into the ruins and hurled himself into the center of the group with Sanji right behind him. Usopp just hid around the corner of the ruins. "You're not taking their ruby!"

"Mugiwara!" Bakku grunted. "Looks like our Lady allowed you to challenge us."

"Your lady?" Chopper repeated. "So it's a woman who wants the ruby? That makes perfect sense now!"

"Why's that?" Sanji asked.

"Because only a woman can use the ruby's power! It has no effect on men."

"You're kidding me?! That Doublefinger lady must already know about that..."

Robin's eyes went wide. "Doublefinger?! As in Miss Doublefinger from Crocodile's Barque Works?!"

Sanji nodded. "The one in the same unfortunately. She wants the ruby bad--"

"And so she shall have it!"

Bakku attacked the others while Robin kept protecting the Elder from Foronto. But he was surprisingly quick, too quick for her fruit abilities to catch up. He swung his rapier at the old man, but Robin thankfully pushed him out of the way and missed.

"Are you ok?" she asked the Elder.

"I'm fine..." His eyes went wide and pointed behind her. "Lookout!"

She turned around and saw Foronto aiming is rapier at them again, slashing at the air and creating wind blades. Robin closed her eyes and shielded her face from getting cut. She heard the old man cry out in pain behind he and she could only imagine the worst. She turned around and saw him kneeling while holding his bleeding hand. A laughed filled the air and she looked up to see Foronto holding the _Sangre Coral_ in his grasp.

"No...!"

Foronto leaped over them and ran towards the exit. "I may not have been able to take your hand, but slicing your palm to retrieve the ruby is just as good!" And with that, he disappeared.

Robin yelled. "Senchou-san! That man's got the _Sangre Coral_! You must go after him!"

"Nani?!" Luffy turned around and saw his shadow fading over the ruin's entrance. "Matte!!" He ran after him and soon disappeared, leaving Sanji and the others to face Bakku.

Robin quickly turned her attention back to the Elder and tended to his wounds. "Daijoubu, Elder-san?"

He cringed in pain, but nodded. "I'm fine... but we must get the _Sangre Coral_ back before that woman releases the Goddess' power! Or else we will all be at her mercy!"

"Kuso...!" Sanji cursed as he continued to fight off Bakku. "Luffy will be able to handle this situation, but I want to help! you're getting in my way!"

Bakku laughed. "But isn't that the plan? As soon as our Lady releases that ruby's power, we"ll do more than just get in your way!"

--------------------------------------------------

Zoro slumped to one side, unconscious. Miss Doublefinger grinned from her success of hurting two people at once, but her smile faded as soon as Lacy looked up at her.

"Your spikes won't work on me."

"Nani?!" She looked down and saw a blue ring rippling around her spikes. She pulled them out and noticed some water splashed out. Her fingers were wet when they turned back to normal. "You're a Devil's Fruit user too?!"

She smiled. "Ate the Mizu Mizu no Mi. Your Toge Toge abilities won't affect me at all."

"So you're the new member of the Mugiwara Pirates the Marines are making such a fuss about. Blue Siren Lacy."

She couldn't help but smile and beam with satisfaction from her new infamous name. "Looks like you know who I am after all~."

"Can't say your picture was flattering, but I have heard how you used your abilities to thwart the Marines. Especially against that Hina woman. But you can turn into water as well as control it? Hmph. No wonder you were willing to throw yourself in front of him."

"With or without the Devil's Fruit, I would still have done it."

She raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh~? In love are we? How sweet. Then it'll be very difficult for you to hear what I have to say about your precious lover."

"What's that?"

"Thanks to my drug his muscle mass is still slowly depleting. It's only a matter of time before it destroys his muscles completely and makes him nothing more than a fragile little boy who's bones could snap easily even if he bent his own arms!" She threw her head back and laughed.

"Stop the process!!" She demanded. One of her kodachi's was unsheathed and pointed at her. "Stop it or I'll cut your throat!"

"Did you learn nothing from his fight against me? Blades have no effect on me!"

She lowered he weapon, embarrassed. "I-I know that! Can't I make a threat without you ruining the moment?"

"My Lady!" Foronto Entered the room with a smile on his face.

"Did you get the ruby?" Miss Doublefinger asked impatiently. He opened a small bag roped to his belt and revealed the gem to her. She gave an evil grin and walked towards him with her hand extended. "Excellent! Give it here!"

"No!" Lacy wrapped herself around the woman and held into her arms for dear life. "Don't you dare!"

"Why you little...!" She turned her entire body into spikes in an instant, but Lacy's guard was up and manage to have every single spike go through her liquid body.

She tried to smile. "I told you, your abilities don't have an affect on mine!"

Miss Doublefinger tried shaking her off, but Lacy knew how to play this game thanks to wrestling with her guy friends and fighting with her sisters. She tightened her grip the more the woman shook. She turned her attention to Foronto, who was coming at her with his rapier in one hand and ruby in the other. She was afraid of what might happen especially since she was concentrating her power on the spikes. She didn't think she was advanced enough to handle his rapier at the same time. Right before he'd swing, she would let go she told herself; it was the only way.

"MATTEEE!!!" Luffy came running into the room and slammed right into Fornoto, knocking him off balance.

Lacy smiled. "Luffy!"

He looked up and blinked at Lacy. "Areee?? Why are you holding into her like that? Are you wrestling?"

"B-Baka! I'm trying to keep her from getting the ruby! Now go get it from that guy before--" Miss Doublefinger laughed in a low voice before it increased and echoed throughout the room. Lacy's eyes went wide as she noticed what had happened. The ruby was already in her grasp. She put two and two together and realized Foronto had tossed the ruby when Luffy hit him and she caught it. Dear God... she caught it...

"The power is finally mine!!"

Lacy finally let go and crawled back as she saw a red blinding light being released from the ruby. Luffy and Foronto did the same. Miss Doublefinger placed the ruby in her forehead where it embedded itself into her skin and became one with her. She laughed out loud as its power engulfed her in a red swirling aura. As soon as it cleared moments later, Miss Doublefinger smiled at her enemies with red glowing eyes.

"The Goddess' power is finally mine! The_ Sangre Coral _and I have fused together and now I shall use it's power to make the world cower at my feet!"

"I don't think so!!" Lacy lunged herself at the woman and gripped the ruby. She tried tearing it out, but it was in there pretty well. Miss Doublefinger just laughed, allowing Lacy to try and pry the gem out of her forehead. She finally released a wave a power and pushed Lacy back and slammed into Luffy, knocking them both over. When they sat up they noticed Miss Doublefinger's muscles had doubled in size without the use of her Toge Toge no Mi.

"HYAAAAAH!!" Foronto leaped near the two of them and they yelled and ducked out of the way.

"Luffy! you take care of that guy and I'll take care of Miss Douublefinger!"

"Are you sure?!" Luffy asked, quickly dodging the rapier's lashes. "She's stronger than ever now with that jewel in her head!"

"I know, but her spikes won't have an effect on me! At least when I'm on guard, so let me try and handle her! Besides..." She looked back over at Zoro's body. "I owe her a beating."

Luffy noticed where Lacy was looking and nodded. "Yosh! you beat the crap out of her and I'll deal with this guy!"

Agreeing, Lacy ran after Miss Doublefinger again. The woman yelled and released a hoard of red glowing spikes from her body without even moving. Lacy quickly put up her guard and dodged as many spikes as she could. Thankful for her fruit, a lot of spikes she couldn't dodge but went through her liquid body. She threw a few geysers at her to knock her off balance, but was in shock as soon as she saw the water split around the woman. Miss Doublefinger smirked with those creepy red glowing eyes while the water rushed passed her like she was slicing it with her mind. The power was frightening to Lacy. How was she going to defeat someone who had incredible powers? Fighting against the Toge Toge no Mi was one thing, but with her power boost victory seemed further away than before. At this point she knew water wasn't going to work, but maybe something solid and physical will.

_Was that what Zoro meant?_ She thought, _I'd have to make sacrifices to do some damage to her? If that's the case..._ She looked back over and Zoro and nodded. "If that's what I gotta do, then so be it!" She ran in a straight line towards the laughing woman and jumped in the air in front of her, fist balled and ready. But she froze in mid air, her fist just an inch or two away from her face. "Wha-What?!"

"Fool!" Miss Doublefinger laughed, her voice echoing to the gem's power. "I possess the Goddess's power with this ruby! Did you think you even had a chance against me?" Her power pushed Lacy back like before, but she learned from last time and landed on all fours and slide back. "Now taste true power!" A red beam shot from her fingers and aimed for Lacy's heart, the beam was too quick for her to react and it hit her straight on. Something strange was happening... Lacy opened her eyes and noticed the beam was still shining through her heart, but she felt nothing. Miss Doublefinger didn't understand either. "N-Nani?! Why isn't my power hurting you?!"

"Because the Goddess' power won't allow itself to harm other women!"

Lacy smiled. "Chopper!"

The little deer panted hard, trying to catch his breath from running so far and long. He tried to smile and wave at Lacy. "Robin told me to come as quickly as possible to let you know. You and Nami don't have to worry about the gems power. It won't hurt women." He paused for a moment, noticing Zoro and Nami's unconscious bodies. "A-Am I too late?!"

"No." Lacy replied. "This was before the gem. But now that I know it won't hurt me, this will be even easier!"

Miss Doublefinger's faced twisted with anger. "HOW CAN THIS BE?!" She roared. "IT'S POWER SHOULD ALLOW ME TO USE IT AGAINST ANYONE!!"

"Long story short," Chopper explained with glee, "the Goddess hated the war of man and only trusted women to the gem's power."

"I know that! Only women can use it's power, so why can't I hurt anyone with it?!"

"Just women you can't hurt. The Goddess' power adored the innocence of women, so it won't hurt them no matter who has the gem!"

"Right on!" Lacy cheered. "I'm liking this Goddess more and more! Thank youuuu Robin!"

"If that's the case, then I'll get rid of you for now!!" She shot another beam at the deer, but Lacy reacted quickly and blocked the beam from him and had it hit her again. "Stop getting in my way!!"

Lacy chuckled. "Hn! This is the second time I'm able to prove to you I'll use myself as a shield!"

"Your words are hollow to me!" Miss Doublefinger smiled. "Both times you had an advantage. It would be different if you had no power or immunity!"

Fists balled at her sides. "Not true! I'd be willing to sacrifice myself for them! Just as I know they would for me!"

"I am sick of the gem not hurting you!" She ignored Lacy's last comment. "If the gem has no effect on you, then I'll just have to hurt you with my Toge toge no Mi!" She stopped glowing, but her eyes were still and empty red. She shot thousands of spikes at her, but all Lacy could do was shield Chopper from them.

She cried out in pain, using only the parts of her body protecting Chopper to solidify. Chopper looked up at her with wide worried eyes. "L-Lacy! You have to turn into water or else she could kill you!"

She flashed him a weary smile. "Then it's a good thing I'm protecting you near my stomach and not where my heart or head can be pierced, right?"

"D-Don't joke! If she pierces your abdomen in the right spot, you could die!!"

She looked over at Luffy, who was still fighting Foronto, back at Miss Doublefinger, then back at Chopper. "If I can distract her long enough for you to get away, do you think you can run over to Luffy?"

Chopper looked at how far he had to go and nodded. "It'll be no problem."

"Alright then!" She stood up and had Chopper hide behind her. She ran straight towards the blue-haired woman and at the last moment, she suddenly burst into a large water wall and engulfed the woman in it like a wave.

"Your water won't work!" She used the gem's power to push the water away from her and when it was gone, no one was in sight. "What?" She looked over to the side and saw Chopper running and only a couple feet away from Luffy, helping him fighting against the other man. She scanned the room, trying to find Lacy. "Where are you hiding?!" She yelled, frantically looking all around.

"Gotcha!" The water at Miss Doublefinger's feet swirled around her and quickly trapped her in a raising whirlpool.

"Nani?!" She yelled as her body spun faster and faster within the water, but she was unafraid of drowning. The gem allowed her to breathe in the water and she smiled. "If you think you can kill me this way, you're wrong!"

"Not exactly."

Miss Doublefinger looked over and saw Lacy's outline swimming towards her in a watery form. As soon as she reached her, only Lacy's hands and face took back its shape and tried to pull the ruby out of her forehead again; this time she used a different method: water jet pressure. She remembered learning about it through her dad when he had to use a water jet tool to drill holes in the Earth and through metals. The water pressure was drilling into the woman's forehead and she screamed in pain. Thanks to the gem's power protecting Miss Doublefinger, Lacy didn't have to be precise with the water pressure and get the job done while hurting them both. The gem healed Miss Doublefinger, but slowly began to shake loose from the skin. Then entire time Miss Doublefinger kicked and screamed, punching and piercing Lacy with her spikes and fists, but it only went though her like water. Finally at long last, Lacy popped the gem out of the skin and it swirled in the water. Exhausted from a sudden power drain and lack of air in the water, Miss Doublefinger passed out. Lacy lowered the whirlpool and landed with a thud back on the ground. She was tired from struggling against the woman and the gem's resistance. She was laying on her stomach when she finally looked up. Luffy and Chopper had just finished off Foronto and Miss Doublefinger was laying unconscious a few feet away from her.

Something glistening in the water on the floor caught her eye. She reached for it and noticed it was the blood ruby. She sat up and admired the jewel in her hand. She felt a power pulling her towards it and she could already see why people are drawn towards this type of energy.

"Hey!"

She clenched the gem and looked up, noticing the rest of the Straw-Hats caught up with them along with the Elder.

"What happened here?" Sanji asked, noticing the damage and water.

Lacy smiled and stood up while holding her side. "She's done. And apparently so are you guys."

"We beat that other guy to a pulp~!" Usopp said victoriously.

Sanji hit him in the shoulder. "Baka! You didn't do anything!"

"Did you get the _Sangre Coral_ ruby back?" Elder Kunui asked.

Lacy held it up. "Yep! Got it back, but it wasn't easy."

He smiled. "No, I imagine it wouldn't be easy to retrieve it. Thank you. all of you, for your help. May I?" He walked over to Lacy and held out his bandaged hand.

Lacy hesitated at first and looked down at the ruby. "I... I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?"

He blinked, a bit worried of what she was about to ask. "What is it?"

She looked back over at Zoro and sighed. "Miss Doublefinger, the woman who used the ruby, injected a drug into Zoro's system and there's no way in stopping it. S-So... I was wondering..."

Elder smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have a good heart, young lady. If you use the ruby's power only to help, then I think I can allow someone to use it just this once."

She smiled. "Thank you so much!" Seeing no other way of injecting the gem, she placed it in her forehead as Miss Doublefinger had done before. A gentle red light glowed around her and she felt its power surging throughout her body. It felt incredible. She could already feel the gem's power healing her and she felt as good as new. She looked down and saw her injuries were completely healed. She turned around and walked toward Zoro's body and knelt beside him. She held him in her arms and kissed his injured hand; then his forehead, then his lips. She called upon the gem's power to heal him and pleaded that he was a good man to save. When their lips parted, Zoro strongly inhaled as if life was returned to a once emptied body.

He opened his eyes and saw Lacy's face glowing at him. His vision was a bit hazy, but he knew it was her, but she seemed different. Her eyes were brighter and a red glow outlined her body. She looked almost unworldly; like a Goddess... "Lacy?"

She smiled wide, relieved to see he was alright. "Oh Thank God..."

--------------------------------------------------

Zoro woke up in an unrecognizable room and sat up. He noticed he was able to sit up with no problems. He looked at his hand and found no bandages wrapped around it nor any cuts or marks. He got up and looked in the mirror over a sink and examined himself. _How the hell am I not injured?_

"I healed you."

He turned around and saw Lacy standing at the doorway with a tray of water and finger sandwiches in her hands. "You healed me? ...How?"

She smiled and placed the tray down on the nightstand. "With the _Sangre Coral_. I borrowed the ruby's power to cure and heal you, Nami, and everyone else. I even healed the Elder's hand so he could embed the ruby back into it." He looked at her for a moment, as if trying to find something different about her. She blushed. "W-What are you staring at?"

"You... really healed me with that gem?"

"What? Is that so hard to believe?"

"It just... felt like a dream. I mean, you were glowing."

"That was the gem's power."

"Where is it now? What happened while I was out?"

She giggled. "Well long story short, Miss Doublefinger managed to get the gem and with my cunning mind, I stopped her~"

He lowered his gaze. "You weren't reckless were you?"

She looked at him innocently. "Me? Reckless? Why on Earth would you ever think that?"

That got him to smile. "Ok ok, then what?"

"Well, Luffy used his ability to shoot Miss Doublefinger and her gang off to who knows where now. Then I asked the Elder to borrow the gem's power to heal you and the others and then I gave it back."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Why? You weren't seduced by its power at all?"

She sat on the bed. "Oh believe me it felt wonderful, but it wasn't my own. There's no honor in having power when it's false. Just means I'm pretending. Though it would've been nice to have around so I could protect you in the future..."

He sat down next to her and gave her a warm hug. "I like how you protect me now, with your own strength."

"That's sweet, but having that power wouldn't make me worry so much."

"I'd rather me being the one doing all the protecting anyways."

She looked up at him. "This isn't another one of her sexist talks, is it?"

He sighed. "No. I just feel better whenever I'm the one protecting you. I know you can hold your own and I know you always can, but knowing that your safe and unharmed just makes me feel better when it comes to battles."

"They're unavoidable though."

"I know. And that's why I'll always be there to protect you."

She smiled. "But the best part is you weren't there this time around and now I have more confidence to protect the ones I love with my own power."

He smiled and lifted her face for a kiss. "Hn. I suppose so. Thank you, Lacy. You really are the greatest woman."

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The newly healed crew said their good-byes. Elder Kunui thanked everyone again and especially Lacy for getting back the ruby and using it's power for good. He promised her they'd spread the good word of the Straw-Hat pirates and even help her new name be known. This alone made her giddy inside and thanked him. They set sail off to their next adventure where who knows what other crazy legends and enemies awaited them.

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**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: ]]** Hey there! Been getting a couple reviews and emails about if I'm going to include Franky and Brook and maybe the Thousand Sunny. Well, since I wrote this story years ago, they weren't introduced yet. BUT I am thinking about adding them in the later chapters so don't worry. They'll come around. :) Anyways, see you next chapter~!


	38. Ch37: Sorcerer Part 3: Long Live the Q

**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: ]] **This chapter and the next has some... _crude_ language in it. ^^; Ye have been warned: intense curse words will appear! Read on maties! XD

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**---**

**CHAPTER 37: The Sorcerer (Part 3: Long Live the Queen)**

**---**

"Wow... that was fast!"

Nami looked out over the railing of the Going Merry and spotted the next island in sight. It had only been 5 days since they left the last island, and it was time to restock and wait once again. They docked by a forest and discovered that there was a town up ahead.

"Let's hurry up and get into town before it gets dark." Suggested Sanji.

They all walked towards the town, traveling through the forest and admiring the view. Luffy would make little "Ooooh~!" sounds every once in a while, spotting strange animals and scaring large birds.

"It's so refreshing in here~!" Commented Lacy. She held out her arms and closed her eyes, embracing the wet forest smell and cool air.

"Tree hugger." Nami snickered under her breath.

"I am not!" She stuck her tongue out to her. "I just like forests is all! Is that a crime?"

"Leave her alone, Nami." Zoro sighed.

"Oh yeah, nice job protecting her from verbal play, Zoro." Nami teased.

"Shut up, woman!" He yelled back at her.

"TEE MEE!! Don't tell Nami-san to shut up!!" Snapped Sanji to Zoro.

"Why don't you go and screw yourself, you damn–"

"Will you two stop fighting and hurry up? It's getting dark and fog's beginning to form." Usopp yelled at the two men.

"Are?!" Luffy stopped and looked around him. "There's a lot of fog, guys!" Everyone stopped and looked around. Sure enough, the fog was surrounding them fast and growing thicker each moment.

"Everyone! Grab a hold of each other quick! Or else we'll get separated!" Nami ordered.

Everyone obeyed and took hold of someone's clothing, hand, or shoulder. The fog swirled up and around the crew and soon, they were blinded by the fog. They couldn't even see the person they were touching let alone their own hand.

"Is everyone here?" Nami called out to everyone. "Robin?"

"Hai, Miss Navigator."

"Luffy?"

"Hee hee hee~! Un!"

"Sanji-kun?"

"HAI NAMI-SWA~N!"

"Chopper?"

"Hai."

"Usopp?"

"H-h-h-hai..."

"Zoro."

"Un."

"Lacy?"

There was silence when her name was called.

"Lacy?" Nami repeated.

"Oi, Lacy!" Zoro yelled, but still no answer.

"Who was she holding onto?!" Nami asked. "Wasn't she with you, Zoro?"

"She was! I can feel her hand on my–" Zoro went to touch his arm, and felt a thin boney hand grabbing him instead. "Huh?" The fog began to slowly disappear, making everyone's vision a bit clearer. When Zoro glanced down at his arm, he could see a shadowy figure wrapping it's arms around him. "UWAAAAH!!" Zoro jumped and threw the figure off of him, wiping his arm as if he was caught on fire.

"What is it, you big baby?" Sanji asked.

"IT WAS A DAMN SKELETON!!" Zoro freaked, still rubbing his arm til it turned red.

"EEEEEK!!" Nami squealed and took a step back from the thrown skeleton.

"A S-S-S-S-S-SKELETON?!?!?" Usopp quivered. "T-T-T-THIS MUST BE A GHOST ISLAND OR S-S-S-SOMETHING!!"

"I could of sworn it was Lacy who grabbed my arm!" Zoro yelled, trying to convince himself of the reason.

"So where is she?!" Shouted Chopper.

"NOOOOO!! LACY-CHWA~!! DOKO DESU KA~?!" Sanji began to shout and cry.

"Lacy! Oi Lacy!!" Zoro shouted, but to no response. "Kuso... She better not have run off to explore!"

"What are you, her father?" Nami sighed. "Come on! The fog's lifting. We should get to town first and–"

Zoro cut her off. "And leave Lacy?! What if she's not too far?!"

"Listen, Zoro! We've got to get into town first and maybe grab some search supplies. Perhaps flashlights?" She added extra emphasis on the last word.

"Hmm... that's strange..." Robin pondered, staring at the decreasing fog.

"Areee? What is?" Asked Luffy.

"This fog. It got so thick so fast. It only lasted for a few moments then suddenly disappeared. It even swirled around us like it had a mind of it's own."

"You've.. Got a point." Agreed Sanji. "Is there someone behind this?"

"Who?" Asked Nami. "Who would know we're here in such a short amount of time? And why would they be after us?"

"What if they were after Lacy?" Asked Chopper.

"W-w-w-why would someone be after her?" Shook Usopp.

"Well, she is wanted after all. Maybe someone wants the bounty money."

"But she didn't even make a noise if she was grabbed or something. And the guys have a bigger price on their heads than her." Commented Nami.

Zoro looked back at the direction he last saw Lacy. She's right, she never made a noise if she was being taken. And she would've told me if she was going to wonder off..." He knelt down at the tracks and touched the mud. "What the...?" He counted the tracks and only found 7 different shoe prints instead of 8.

"Oi, minna." Zoro called to everyone. "Look at this."

Robin knelt down next to him and felt the ground as well. "Miss Artist's foot prints aren't even here."

"Maybe we got split up?" Suggested Chopper. "We should walk back a bit and see if she went somewhere else."

Robin shook her head. "Even if we did, her footprints would still be here since we never moved form this spot when the fog came. "

"Did anyone see a fork on the trail?" Asked Nami. Everyone shook heir heads.

"Maybe she went exploring~!" Shouted Luffy with a smile.

Nami scratched her head and sighed. "Let's just get into town and we'll figure things out from there."

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy walked through the thick fog, wondering which way she was going and trying not to trip over anything.

"Where is everyone? They were here just a minute ago... And I could've sworn I grabbed Zoro's arm instead of a branch..."

She held out her arms and felt her way through the fog, yelling out her nakama's names, but to no response. The fog was finally lifting around her as she came out into an opening. She could see skeletons hanging from the trees and rusty old weapons stuck in the trunks and ground.

"What is this place...?" She walked around slowly, observing the bones and hugging herself. "These look like skeletons from the early seventeen hundreds."

Suddenly, without even noticing, she ran into something cold and hard, causing her to fall backwards onto the ground. She rubbed her cheek and looked up; there was a strange building in the center of the opening. It looked like an old small hotel, with the windows boarded up and roof shingles barely hanging on. The walls looks battered and there were two old wooden doors in the front that looked like they were about to fall off.

"Was this an old building from the 17th century?" She touched the wall gently. The material crumbled between her fingers. "Ech..." She said in disgust.

She walked up to the 2 front doors and observed them for a moment._ Should I go in?_ She asked herself. _It's dark and I don't want to wonder around blindly... then again, this is a creepy building and it may have creepy... "things" inside... She opened the doors slowly and luckily they stayed in tact. She walked in and noticed candles were lit all around her. "What the...?!"_

The inside was perfectly clean. A crystal chandelier hung above her head with squeaky clean granite floors and a bronze staircase with red and blue carpet trailing the stairs. Lacy walked around, wondering what was going on.

"Is this... some sort of trick? For a hideout, perhaps?"

"Correct, Miss Lacy."

She whirled around fast as soon as she heard another's voice. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. She began to shake and sweat was running down her face. "I-it's... YOU!!"

--------------------------------------------------

The Straw-Hat gang collected flashlights, hand-held fans for clearing the fog, and signal flares. As they all gathered in the center of town, they began to plan out their search party.

"Ok," began Nami, "It's dark and the fog's gone, but it may be back."

"What do you mean 'it may be back'?" Questioned Usopp with a raised eyebrow.

"It seemed to have a mind of it's own. Fog doesn't do what it did to us earlier." Explained Robin.

"She's right." Agreed Nami. "Now, we'll split up into two groups. Usopp, you go with Robin, Sanji-kun, and Luffy. Me, Zoro, and Chopper will go together as a group."

"Why am I stuck with you?!" Grunted Zoro.

"Leave Nami-san alone, marimo head!" Sanji snapped at him. "At least I get to go with one of the ladies~! Ne, Robin-chan~?"

"Alright, we'll set off a flare as soon as we find Lacy." Chopper added.

"And be careful." Warned Nami. "There's something wrong on this island so we need to be on our toes, got it?"

"Un!!" Shouted Luffy with a raised fist.

"Hai." Agreed Robin.

Nami gave everyone a thumbs up. "Alright~! Let's go~!"

--------------------------------------------------

Lacy took several steps back until she ran into a wall, trapped. "W-w-what the hell are you doing here?!" She demanded.

"Why, business of course. And you're right on time for the meeting, Miss Lacy."

"S-stay away from me, Nathaniel!!"

He walked closer to her, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "I am flattered that you remembered my name, Miss Lacy." He said in his English accent. "But you don't have to be so formal with me. Please, call me Nate."

"What do you want from me this time?! No more rituals, I hope?!"

"Oh dear, no. There's going to be something much more exciting than a ritual." He replied with a chuckle.

"I'm not as weak as when we last met, Nate! I'll defeat you with my own strength this time! No joke!"

"Hmm. Very interesting." He walked in front of her and placed a hand against the wall next to Lacy's ear. "Very interesting indeed."

She blushed from having their faces so close to each other. "STAY AWAY!!" She yelled, and pushed him back.

But he came right back up to her and grabbed her chin softly. "What? You won't yell for Mr. Zoro to come to your rescue? Or have you both gone your separate ways?"

"GET BACK!!" She released water from her hands and nailed him in his stomach.

He bent over a bit and held his gut. "O-Ooh. This is going to more fun than before. You have become quite powerful, Miss Lacy. I'm impressed."

Lacy stood in fighting position as if she was going to use martial arts. "Just try me! You and your damn Queen!"

"Oh I wouldn't insult the Queen like that if I were you. It will upset her."

"I don't give a flying fuck if I make her upset! I'll get her pissed if I want! I'm not afraid!"

"Oh, but you should be."

"And why is that?!"

"Because bad and painful things are about to occur."

"What do you mean?" He snickerd. "Tell me, dammit!!"

"I'm afraid it's already too late. Your friends are about to get a big surprise. Especially your strong swordsman."

"Zoro...?!"

--------------------------------------------------

_ACHOO!_

Zoro let out a large sneeze as he, Nami, and Chopper walked down the dark and eerie path.

"LACYYYY!!" Nami yelled out.

"Oi, Lacy! Where are you?!" Zoro yelled out as well.

"Oi, minna!" Chopper squeaked as he stopped abruptly ahead of them.

"What is it?" Asked Nami as she and Zoro walked over my him.

"What's that?!"

They all stared wide-eyed at a temple that seemed to be in the shape of a snake.

"Don't worry, it's not real." Nami sighed in relief. "It's just a statue."

"Wait a minute." Zoro walked closer to the statue and stared into the snake's eyes. "Huh?" He saw one of the eyes twitch just slightly, almost unnoticeably. "RUN!!!"

They all obeyed, not knowing what was going on; until the stone snake roared and came to life.

"WHAT THE HELL?! THAT THING WAS REAL?!" Screamed Nami.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT WAS JUST A STATUE?!" Asked Chopper, tears swelling in his frightened eyes.

"WELL, IT _IS_ A STATUE!!"

"Will you two shut up and keep going?!" Zoro pushed them down a slippery hill and turned around to face the snake.

"What are you doing, Zoro?!" Asked Chopper.

He smiled. "I'll take care of this thing. I'm not going to run away from some stupid stone reptile."

He unsheathed his swords and placed the third one in his mouth. The snake hissed and circled Zoro, trapping him in its coil. He tried slicing the stone, but it was too thick. _Damn it! _Zoro cursed._ It's as strong as iron! I've got to concentrate hard like I did back in Alabasta to cut this stupid thing..._

The snake snapped at Zoro, causing him to fly backwards and roll as the snake kept at his snaps. He ran around the snake, trying to make it confused and catch it off guard. He found an opening and cut the snake in half. But it wasn't over. Though the snake's size had been reduced, it still slithered towards Zoro in an angry rage and enormous fangs bared.

"What the hell?! It's still moving?!"

"It's stone, you idiot!" Yelled out Nami from behind a tree. "You can't kill stone!"

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU COME OUT HERE AND DEAL WITH THIS THING YOURSELF, WOMAN?!" Zoro shouted back at her angrily.

Just then, the snake lunged at Zoro, catching him off guard. He flew into the trees and didn't come out for a moment. Thinking he was dead, the snake slithered towards Nami and Chopper and bared its fangs. Nami screamed, but at the last moment Zoro blocked the snakes fangs with his swords.

"You're still dealing with me!" Zoro sneered at the snake.

Blood ran down his forehead from being thrown, but it was nothing to him. He sliced the snake one last time down the middle of its head with his "Tora Gari" technique. The snake finally stopped moving. Confused and thinking the battle was over, everyone stood back up, that is until they heard a woman's laughter.

"Bravo, Roronoa Zoro. Once again, you've managed to impress me."

Zoro's eyes widened and he began to sweat. "Omae...!!"

The Queen stood before him in a different blue exotic dancing girl outfit. Her skin was still blue with her strange headdress and jewelry. She still wore her sly devious grin. Her clothing was the only thing that changed about her.

She smiled. "In the flesh."

Zoro smiled. "Not for long!!" He ran towards her until she held up her hand and he was thrown back.

"What's the rush, Roronoa Zoro? We were finally reunited and you want to hurt me? Tsk tsk. That is so ungentlman like."

"Damn you, bitch! You're behind this weird fog and the snake aren't you?!" He yelled at her.

"Of course. I needed to see you again. The fog and snake was just a simple plan to lure you out is all."

"Where's Lacy?!"

"Lacy...? Lacy..."

"You know damn well who she is! The blonde girl with blue tips! Where the hell is she?!" Zoro demanded.

She smirked. "Ah, you mean your lover. I do remember having one of my men calling her by that name."

"Don't make me repeat myself!!"

Nami and Chopper shivered behind the bushes in awe.

"W-who's that, Nami?" Chopper whispered.

Nami gulped. "I don't know... but they seem to know each other..."

The Queen sighed. "Honestly, I don't know where she is now."

"LIAR!!"

"It's the truth, really. The fog was my doing, but one of my men dealt with her."

"So she's being held captive at one of your psychotic schools?!"

She turned her back to him. "School? Heavens no. The sorcery school is back where we first met. Here, we have a castle instead. But you two are quite a lot of trouble. You were even able to defeat dear Sukuna."

Zoro raised an confused eyebrow. "Sukuna?"

"You know, the snake woman? She's my dear sister whom your captain defeated." She glanced over her shoulder to see Zoro still confused. She smiled evilly. "Let me put it in another way; she was the one who controlled your women and created a woman army. Ring any bells now?"

Zoro's eyes went wide and he clenched his sword tightly. He remembered that time when the women of an island and their own crew were brainwashed and controlled by a woman with snake eyes. "OMAE!!" He ran towards her again with his sword drawn, but she did nothing. He drew closer when she finally giggled and spoke.

"Wouldn't you like to know where your precious lover is now?"

Zoro stopped right behind her. He took a deep breath and sweat rolled down his cheeks. "You really DO know where–"

She laughed. "I do now. One of my men told me telepathically just now, but I'm afraid it may be too late."

Zoro gritted his teeth and swung his sword across her throat, just close enough to were it was barely touching her blue skin. "What did you do?!"

"Hee hee. Nothing... yet. But you will see soon enough. However," she gave him a low dark stare, "in order to insure her safety, you must come with me."

His brow knotted. "Screw you! What do you want this time, woman?!"

"Honestly, it's not another ritual. But another... 'special' occasion instead. And it requires your help."

Zoro chuckled. "Don't bullshit yourself! What makes you think I'll help you?!"

"So your lover will live."

His heart skipped a beat. He stared at her for a long time. _What can I do? Is she telling the truth? Does she even have Lacy? What the hell is she up to now? ...but... What if Lacy really is in trouble... KUSO!! He drew his blade away from her throat and placed his swords back in their sheaths. "What do I have to do?"_

She smiled. "Good boy. This way please~!"

They disappeared into a sudden thick fog surrounding their path. Nami and Chopper tried running after them, but they had already disappeared.

"What's going on?!" Nami spazed.

"Should we tell the others?" Asked Chopper.

"Yeah. Let's go!"

A shadow hovered over the two lurkers suddenly, giving them the chills. They both turned around at the same time to see who was creeping up behind them.

Nami froze in terror. "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

--------------------------------------------------

"You're disgusting!"

"Please keep moving, Miss Lacy."

Lacy walked up the enormous flight of stairs with Nathe walking behind her. Her hands were tied behind her back from a spell Nathan used; causing the rope to feel like oil.

_This is gross... _she thought. _I HATE the feeling of oily stuff. And to think he knew water can't slip out of oils! Clever, stupid Nate!... And why did he have to use Zoro as a way to capture me?! That was low! Saying things like Zoro will be in danger if I don't cooperate! Sleaze bag! She didn't see anyone as she walked up the stairs. There were doors on all sides of her, but with no noise or movement coming from the other side. They finally reached the top of the stairs, which seemed like it took hours to get to, when they took a break._

"You will wait here like a good girl, Miss Lacy."

She spat at his feet. "Don't call me a 'good girl' like I'm some dog!"

"Yes, I do apologize, Miss Lacy. Wait here, won't you?" He bowed and disappeared instantly before her eyes.

She tried figuring out a way to untie her hands and escape. She tried everything she could think of, but all ended in failure. After giving up, she noticed a railing over by one wall. She looked over, and found a large dark room. It reminded her of a laboratory; with funnels, flasks, beakers, and objects floating in jars. There were electric lights and cables with sparks jumping out of them. Greens, pinks, purples, blues, and reds swirling all around a large funnel, that looked very much like an hour glass. In fct, she noticed the hour glass was extremely large for its size and unnecessary to have. Flowing in the middle of the room, was a river. But the color reminded her of the ocean and she realized it was a piece of the sea flowing through the building. But why? She whirled around as soon as she heard a door slam. It was Nate.

"Good. You're still here. Now please follow me. We're ready for you now."

"Ready for what?"

He chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "You'll see soon, my dear."

Just then, another door appeared and two more figures entered the room. One of them she recognized as the Queen, the other...

"ZORO!!" Lacy smiled with relief and began to run towards him, until Nate stopped her.

"Not right now, Miss Lacy. Don't spoil the fun."

"Let me go, asshole! I have every right to–"

The Queen cut her off. "Silence, girl! That is enough of your whining."

Lacy gave her an evil glare. "So you can talk, eh blueberry?"

Nate gasped in offense. "SILENCE! Do not insult the Queen, Miss Lacy!!"

"I said it once and I'll say it again: I'll piss her off if I want to! I'm not afraid of her! Zoro, why aren't you–" The Queen laughed silently, causing Lacy to become confused. It wasn't until then that she noticed his expressionless face. "Zoro?"

"I'm afraid he can't hear you, or at least want to listen to you." The Queen replied.

"What do you mean?"

"He's with me now."

There was silence. Lacy stared at the Queen's evil grin for a long while, then laughed. "Quit fooling yourself! Zoro's with you?! You must think I'm incredibly stupid!"

"Not at all. You're just thick-headed and in denial."

"Let him go! I know he's not with you 'all of a sudden'. You don't know him at all! You just brainwashed him or something, didn't you, you bitch?!"

"MISS LACY!!"

"ENOUGH!!" Shouted the Queen. "We will begin the necessary preparations immediately before they escape again! Nathaniel!"

He bowed to her. "Yes, m'lady." He magically appeared in front of the hour glass and typed on the keyboard.

Lacy ran towards Zoro and leaned in front of him. "Zoro? Zoro?! You've got to snap out of it! It's me, Lacy! You've got to–"

_SLAP!!_

Lacy flew across the floor and fell face down on the cold tile. Zoro had backhanded her and left her a red cheek and a bloody cut on her lip.

She sat up, her eyes tearing up from the burn. "Z-Zoro..? What's gotten into you...?!" He just stared at her with cold eyes. The eyes she didn't recognize. The eyes that did not belong to her Zoro. Se gritted her teeth. "What have you done to him?!" The Queen ignored her. "ANSWER ME BITCH!!"

The Queen glanced over at the fallen body and smiled. "This is what you've always feared, isn't it?"

"What...?"

"You have a desire so strong, so powerful, that no one else can endure it so passionately as you. I want that desire! I will take it from you while increasing my own power!"

"Desire? What desire? I have many! I have a desire to sock you in the face. Hell, I have a strong desire for a slurpee right now, so how can one just be–"

"It seems you have not realized it yet, but this desire has given you a very powerful will. The good news is I will be able to grant you your desire~."

"But what is it?! What are you talking about?! You were going on about this last time too!"

"For now, I will need to force you to make your desire even stronger."

"What does that mean?!"

"You will see soon enough."

Lacy screamed out in frustration. "CAN'T ANYONE GIVE ME A GOD DAMN STRAIGHT ANSWER FOR ONCE?!?!" Zoro turned and walked over beside the Queen. "Zoro?" Lacy said in a low, worried voice. "Zoro, I know you can hear me. I know you can break free from this... spell. Please Zoro, try!"

He glanced at her and gave her a cold stare that almost terrified her. She stumbled onto her feet and walked over to him; leaning her body against his like she wanted to give him a hug.

"Zoro..."

He grunted angrily and grabbed her by the shoulders, squeezing them hard.

Lacy winced in pain. "A-ah...! Zoro... listen to me...!" He squeezed harder, until she heard a cracking noise from one of her arms. She shuttered in uncomfortable pain.

She shut her eyes tight and smiled. "Zoro... I know you're in there, somewhere..." She rested her head on his chest, but it only made him squeeze harder. She flinched. "I know you can hear me! I love you Zoro!"

He cringed at the sound of those words and threw her to the ground. She laid on her back for a while, trying to disperse the pain. She tried moving her arms, until she noticed her arm was broken. The pain slowly increased like a new bruise. The pain was bearable, but a broken arm in this situation was the worse thing she could ask for right now. After a few moments of enduring the throbbing pain, she forced herself to get up and smiled at him again.

"Zoro, I love you and I know you'll fight this." She walked backwards and purposely fell over the railing.

This caught the Queen's eye. She and Zoro walked over quickly to the scene and watched the blonde fall towards the little river. The Queen saw her smiling as she hit the water with a loud splash.

Zoro twitched as soon as he heard the noise, and began to shake. The Queen laughed and walked away with a huge smile on her face. "Well! What an idiotic girl! Since when does a victim of the Devil's Fruit become stupid enough to fall into the sea? Nathaniel, go fetch her and-- hm?" She glanced over at Zoro, who kept shaking and she noticed he was gripping the railing tightly, causing the veins in his ams to become more define. "Zoro? What's wrong? Why are you like that?" She noticed the bubbles floating to the top were slowly fading away. As soon as the last bubble floated to the surface, Zoro's back popped straight.

"LACY!!" His eyes opened wide and quickly jumped over the railing and dove into the water where Lacy had fallen.

The Queen gasped and ran over to the railing. "No! Zoro!! How can this be?!"

He swam as fast as he could under the icy cold sea water as soon as he hit it. He could barely see Lacy's outline as she sunk further and further into the dark watery depths. He reached for her hand and caught her in his arms. As he swam towards the top, he began to choke. _Kuso!! I'm losing air! She fell too deep!_ He finally made it to the surface, gasping for air as he swam to the side. He noticed her hands were free and realized the spell had been disabled when she hit the water.

"RORONOA ZORO!!!" The Queen screamed after him.

He ignored her. He pulled Lacy over the side and checked her breathing. Like before, he gave her CPR and within seconds, revived her. She coughed and spat a lot of water out of her mouth and rolled over to her side, gasping for air.

Zoro helped her up and embraced her. "Are you alright?!"

She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision. "Y-yeah... Are _you_ alright? Are you back to normal now?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I'm back." He pulled her away, but she yelped in pain. "Hn?" He rolled up her shirt sleeve and examined her upper right arm. There he found a large purple and green puffy bruise expanding. "What the?! You're arm is broken!"

She grinned at him. "I-I'll be fine. Really. I can handle the pain."

Zoro turned around and glared up at the Queen. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!! LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!!"

The Queen was staring at Lacy. "Idiot! You ruined everything again!" She yelled down to her. "How in the world did you know he was going to turn back to normal by jumping into the water?!"

Lacy grinned. "Call it 'shock therapy.' It's one way to snap someone out of a deep sleep or trance."

"One way?" The Queen repeated. "You mean you weren't even sure it would work?!"

"W-Well... erm... no. But now I know it does~!"

Zoro laughed out loud. "You're unpredictable!"

A vein popped on the Queen's forehead. "Why you little idiotic–!"

Zoro cut her off. "What the hell is your problem, bitch?! You tell me this bullshit that she's in trouble and then you take me to some temple and brainwash me?!"

Lacy blinked. "What? I knew it!"

The Queen sneered. "Well, I did say you had to come with me if you wanted her to live. What makes you think she's still not in danger?"

Zoro's brow twitched. "What do you mean?"

"Just because she's here now and happened to survive that little incident, does not mean she's still safe. We have plans for her unless you cooperate."

"Um... hello?! I'm standing right here! I can hear everything you guys are saying..." Lacy mumbled loudly.

"And if I don't cooperate, what are you going to do exactly?" Zoro continued.

The Queen chuckled. "Numerous things. Maybe even another ceremony."

Lacy sighed. "Meh... they're ignoring me..."

"Another ceremony?" Repeated Zoro. "What was the first one for?"

"It had its significance." The Queen sneered.

"WILL EVERYONE STOP WITH THE DAMN RIDDLES ALREADY?! GAH!!" Everyone went silent and turned to look at the little stressed blonde, huffing. "Geez! Everything's nothing but riddles here!! We can't get a straight answer from anyone!"

"You ask and we answer, Miss Lacy." Replied Nate.

"Yeah, twisted answers! No one can just tell me 'yes' or 'no' or anything else!!"

"Silence, you!" The Queen yelled.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"What are you going to do to–" Zoro cut himself short when he heard a beeping noise from behind. He noticed the Queen had pushed a button to activate something. He turned around to find a huge sphere appearing in the hour glass. It filled up with green liquid and revealed 2 glowing red eyes. "What... the hell is that?"

Lacy turned around as well to see what was going on. "What's.. inside of that thing?"

Nate chuckled. "A little gift for you, Miss Lacy."

"Me?" She blinked. "What is it?" she took a step back, thinking it had to be some sort of ferocious monster or something.

"No peeking until all of the preparations are in order." Teased the Queen.

Zoro grunted. "Dammit, woman! What's going on?"

"I want her desire and I _will_ have it."

"But what's my desire?!" Lacy yelled up to the Queen. "That's all I've heard from you guys! What is my friggin' desire?!"

Nate chuckled. "My dear, you should know your own desire."

"Well I'll tell you one thing, I have a strong desire to kick both of your asses!"

"Oh come now, Miss Lacy. You're desire's much more powerful than that one."

"Stop it Nate! You've been the one talking in riddles ever since that time we met back at that school!"

"You were that monster...!" Zoro stated, suddenly remembering his fight back at the school.

"Monster?" Repeated Nate.

"Back at the port! When we were running away before those men went off in those carriages. That was you as that monster, wasn't it?! I recognize your eyes. How the hell did you survive?!"

Nate laughed softly. "You usually don't take the effort to remember people, Roronoa Zoro."

Zoro's brow knotted. "I try to remember my enemies that have threatened Lacy."

Nate let out another silent laugh. "Yes, it was me. You really caught me off guard back then, Mr. Zoro." He rested his hand on his stomach and smiled. "You left me a nasty mark, but thankfully the Queen came to my rescue and healed me in time."

Lacy glanced over at Zoro, figuring out that they must've fought before he went to rescue her back at that time. She sighed. "I'm guessing we'll never get any straight answers, Zoro. We'll just have to wait and find out."

Zoro quickly turned towards Lacy. "What are you saying?! Why don't we just–"

She cut him off. "I think if we just watch instead of asking, we'll get some answers."

The Queen laughed. "Finally we're making some progress~! You're not as simple minded as you look."

Lacy glared at her. _Well, this is different, _she thought._ I'm actually going to shut up and just watch?! What am I thinking?! I guess I'm just going to suck it up and be patient, for once. Man... Something _is_ wrong with me..._

_BA-BUMP!_

Lacy's skin jumped. She felt as though she could almost hear its heartbeat... whatever it was inside of the sphere. Zoro noticed her reaction. He wanted to know what was wrong, instead he just stepped closer to her and rested his hands on her shoulders gently.

The Queen sneered and raised her arms in the air. When she did so, the sphere looked as if it spontaneously cracked, revealing a bright light inside the glowing green liquid.

Nate magically appeared in front of Lacy smiling. "What do you think, Miss Lacy? You're gift is awakening."

"A... Awakening...?"

Just then, the ground began to shake and the walls rumbled.

"What's going on?!" The Queen yelled furiously.

Nate looked back and forth around the room. "I'm not sure, m'lady!"

"Then find out! It's ruining the preparations!"

"Yes m'lady!"

But before Nate could move, he heard a loud cry and saw a large crack expanding in one wall. Just then, the wall crumbled and a straw-hatted boy flung into the room.

"ZOOOOOOOROOOOOOOOOO!!!! LAAAAACYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

"L-LUFFY!!" Lacy exclaimed.

"It's about time, baka!" Grunted Zoro.

"OOOOOOOIIII~~!!! LACY-CHWA~~!!!"

"Kisama...!" Zoro grunted again.

"Sanji~!!" Lacy waved at the love-swooned chef and smiled back at Zoro. "Looks like we'll have to get our answers later, ne Zoro?"

He smiled back. "Hn. Seems so."

"Stop right there, Miss Lacy!" Nate launched a couple energy balls from his hands, causing Lacy to fly into the air.

She landed hard on the ground and rolled to break some of the momentum; clenching her right shoulder in pain. "ITTEI!! Leave us alone, asshole!!"

The Queen's eyes flared. "I REFUSE TO LET YOU ESCAPE FROM ME AGAIN!!" She raised her arms and in snake-like way and sneered. Wind suddenly swept through the room and dark clouds hovered overhead with lightning shooting out of them. Smoke filled the room as the bolts struck the stone walls.

"Yarararararaaaa!!" Panicked Luffy, trying to dodge the bolts. "What's going on guys?!"

"Let's just get out of here!" Zoro grabbed Luffy's arm and pulled him through the large gap in the wall. Lacy followed closely behind with Sanji picking up the pace. But before they left, Lacy glanced back at the sphere and found a piece of it had broken off. She could see a pair of eyes peeking out through the hole and glaring at her. She shivered and left.

"No!! They're getting away m'lady!!"

"Do not worry, Nathaniel. It's part of the plan."

"M'lady?"

She smiled. "It seems as though she must realize her desire on her own. Besides, her little gift isn't ready yet. It's shell has only cracked; it looks like it's not quite ready to emerge just yet."

"I see. You're stalling for more time, right m'lady?"

She giggled. "Yes."

--------------------------------------------------

Luffy and the others made it back to the Going Merry without any trouble. But when they went to port, everything seemed... different. Lacy stopped before boarding to observe.

"Didn't we port somewhere else?" Lacy asked.

Nami glared at Usopp. "Yes, but _someone_ was chicken and wanted to move the ship under the cliffs!"

"You were all yelling that Zoro and Lacy were captured and that there was a big stone snake! How was I suppose to react?!"

Chopper chuckled. "C'mon, Lacy! Let's get going~!"

Zoro walked over by Lacy. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?"

She turned around and hugged him gently. "I'm so glad you're ok."

He smiled. "Me too. The Queen will never learn about us, huh?"

She paused for a moment, then chuckled. "You got that right."

He bent down and kissed her. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment with him at last, until Sanji called them on board the Going Merry.

"Oi, green tea head! Get your ass up here!" Sanji shouted.

Zoro spat. "Urusendaiyou, perverted asshole!"

"Teemee!!"

"There's no time for fighting! We gotta get off this island as soon as possible!" Nami roared, checking the Log Pose.

When they began to board, Lacy cringed a bit in pain and fell onto her knees. "I-itte!"

"Ah? What's wrong, Lacy-chan?" Asked Sanji, noticing Lacy grabbing her shoulder.

"I'm fine. It's just a little hit from earlier."

Zoro bent down next to her and observed her leg. "Eh?! Lacy, you're bleeding! How did this happen?"

She noticed a little trail of blood trickling down her ankle then gave him an embarrassed giggled. "Eh heh heh, well, it's just a little cut from when Nate attacked me back there."

"Nate did that to you?! Ano yarou! Next time I see him I'm gonna kill him!! But you shouldn't walk on that. You're just going to hurt yourself even more."

Lacy stuck out her tongue. "Heh heh, sorry. Guess it's what I get for being reckless, ne?"

Zoro sighed. "Not all the time. You try to act tough. C'mon, let's get it bandaged up."

He got up to walk inside of the cabin when a knife suddenly flew by, barely missing him and getting stuck in the boards.

"Eh?! O-oi, Lacy! What are you doing?!" Usopp said in a surprised voice.

Zoro turned around to find the blonde girl hunched over with her arm extended; never hiding the fact that she was the one who threw the knife. "Lacy?! What are you doing?!"

"Who the hell are you?" She asked.

"What?!"

Nami stepped forward. "What's this all about, Lacy? Why are you attacking him?!"

"What's going on?" Asked Robin.

Lacy ignored them. "I'll ask again, who are you?"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Zoro, puzzled at Lacy's behavior.

"What did Zoro do?!" Chopper panicked.

"Yeah, what did the asshole do this time, Lacy-chan?"

_SWOOSH!!_

A powerful slender water geyser shot out of Lacy's finger like a gun and grazed Zoro's cheek, making it bleed. "I'm getting pissed! Who the hell are you?!"

"What are you talking about?! I'm Zoro! Who else would I be?!"

"Heh! You're not Zoro! Where's the real santouryu master?"

Sanji scanned back and forth from Lacy to Zoro, confused. "O-oi, matte Lacy-chan. You mean this isn't the real Zoro?!"

"He's an imposter?" Asked Nami.

Zoro's jaw dropped. "WHAT?! I don't know what's going on, but it's not funny, Lacy!"

"Oh will you quite bull shitting already?! Where's the real Zoro?!"

Zoro flashed them an evil grin and jumped on top of the cabin by the orange trees, snickering. "I'm impressed, blondie. How did you know I was a fake?"

"EH?! You mean he's really NOT Zoro?!" Yelped Luffy.

"I see." Nodded Robin. "He must be a spy of some sort for this 'Queen' woman."

Lacy smiled. "Seems that way."

"But how did you know it wasn't really Zoro?" Asked Chopper.

"Yes, tell us blondie." Repeated the fake Zoro.

"First of all, don't EVER call me 'blondie'! It's just stupid for an insult! And second, you gave away a few clues that made me realize that you weren't really Zoro."

"I did?" Asked the fake Zoro. "Really now? What did I do to blow my cover?"

"One, you said Nate's name. Zoro's always called him 'bastard' or 'asshole' since he hates him so much. Same with the Queen. You didn't call her 'bitch' or 'that woman'. Two, when I was injured, you didn't pick me up or help me at all like the real Zoro would have. I have a broken arm, remember? You paid more attention to a cut on my leg rather than the more important injury of my arm. Then I began to test you and that's when you gave me the biggest clue that made me realize 100% that you were a fake."

"Oh? What did I say exactly?"

"Actually, it's what you didn't say. I commented that I was reckless and you disagreed. The real Zoro ALWAYS says I'm reckless no matter what!"

The fake Zoro's eyes widened. "What?! Just because I didn't say you were reckless gave me away?!"

Lacy nodded. "Yup!"

"Kono yarou!" Sanji jumped after Zoro, kicking him in the head and knocking him back onto the deck. "MAN THAT FELT GOOD!!"

Nami sweat dropped. "I take it you enjoyed beating up Zoro even though he's not real..."

The fake Zoro got onto his knees. "Bastard! I outta–"

Suddenly his body was wrapped in Luffy's rubber arms and soon a bubble formed around him, trapping him inside.

"Alright Lacy~!" Cheered Luffy.

The fake Zoro pounded on the bubble, trying to pop it. "Bitch! Lemme go!!"

"I don't think so. Now I have some questions and you better have some answers for me! And no damn riddles!"

The fake Zoro flipped her off. "Let me outta here!"

"Fine! Be that way." She lifted up her hand and the fake Zoro realized the bottom of the bubble was filling up with water.

"W-what the hell is this?!"

"The Queen never knew of my Devil Fruit abilities since I never had them when we first met. So this will be completely new to her and you. So listen up and listen good: If you don't tell us what we wanna hear, I'll drown you!"

He sneered. "You wouldn't dare!!"

"Try me!" She raised her hand more and the water was now up to his waist. "Now tell me where the real Zoro is."

"Fuck off!!"

The water was up to his chest now. "Don't make me ask again."

"Go screw yourself!"

A vein bulged out of Sanji's forehead. "OI!! Talk to Lacy-chan like that again and I'll–"

Lacy interrupted him. "Why did the Queen switch you with the real Zoro?"

He spat. "As if I'd tell you! Go to hell!"

"After you."

The bubble completely filled with water, leaving only a teeny tiny bit of space at the top; barely enough space for the fake Zoro to surface his nose or mouth. He gurgled, choking for his life. She could see him suffering and drained a bit of water out so that only his head was revealed.

"F-Fine! I'll talk!"

Robin laughed. "You're so evil, Lacy."

Lacy glanced over at her for a moment before continuing. "Now, what is the Queen up to? Why does she want me so badly?"

"B-because you have something she wants!"

"I know that! But what?!" The water raised a bit, causing him to panic.

"A d-desire! A desire!"

"Desire?" Repeated Sanji.

"What desire?" Asked Nami.

"I-I don't know. I swear I don't know!"

Usopp sighed. "Hmph. Pretty pathetic for a Zoro clone, don't you think?"

"Ee. No shame at all." Agreed Chopper.

"I DO know that she wants this desire out of you!"

"Out of her? How?" Asked Robin.

"S-she wants the desire for herself, so she wants to drain it out of her!"

"Drain it out of me? Then what does she want with Zoro?" Lacy asked.

"I don't know! Something about being part of draining the desire out of you and increasing it's strength! There! I told you what you wanted to know! Now lemme go bitch!"

"Lacy-chan, do you know what he's talking about?"

Lacy's head dropped. "No... I don't. It still doesn't make any sense to me at all..."

Luffy scooted closer to the bubble and poked it. "Oi, yarou. Where are you hiding Zoro?"

"Get away from me, freak!"

"Shut up and tell me where Zoro is! Where's my nakama?!" Luffy stomped his foot.

"Screw you!"

Lacy turned back towards the fake Zoro and filled the bubble again with water. He choked again for a while, but Lacy left him underwater longer than before. He panicked and began holding his throat, gasping for air. She finally let him breathe, allowing the water to drain down to his shoulders.

"Where's Zoro?" She asked him.

"O-ok! I-I'll tell you! There's too many clones of him! Each becoming more and more perfect, more like the real swordsman. But the real one is hidden in the palace where–"

Just then, the bubbled popped, spilling water everywhere and knocking the fake Zoro to the ground.

"W-W-W-WHAT HAPPENED?!" Screamed Luffy.

"What the-?!" Sanji bent over by the fake Zoro and observed his body. "He's... dead!"

"D-D-D-D-D-D-DEAD?!" Shivered Usopp.

"Dead?! How?!" Yelled Nami.

Chopper sniffed the body for a moment, rolled him onto his back, then pointed at his chest. "L-Look!" Everyone hovered over the body and found a small perfectly round hole through where Zoro's heart would be.

Robin's eyes widened. "Someone... shot him?"

Lacy looked behind her and found a tiny figure standing on top of the cliff. But it was so small... almost like a midget. No, smaller... "Shit!"

"What's wrong?" Asked Chopper, noticing Lacy's stare at the cliffs, which were now bare.

"Apparently no one wanted us to know where Zoro's hidden."

Robin scanned the cliff where Lacy was looking, figuring the hidden attack came from there.

"Eeeeeeeww!! Minna, why is Zoro all glompy?" Gaged Luffy.

Everyone looked back at the Zoro clone and noticed him slowly melting.

"Eww! What's going on?" Shivered Nami.

Sanji bent down and touched the goop with his fingers, feeling the material. "It's... clay!"

"Clay?" Robin touch the substance as well. "It is. But it's just normal clay turning into puddy."

"So when they die, they turn to moosh?" Asked Luffy.

"Seems so."

"Wait a minute!!" Squealed Nami. "Lacy!! You just killed Zoro!!"

Lacy blinked. "Eh? No I didn't. Didn't you see the knife?"

"But you were going to! You were drowning him! How could you do that without hesitating?!"

"O-oi... that's right. You're so cold." Agreed Usopp.

"But he was a fake! So there was no reason to show feelings."

"Um... I think you're missing the point, Lacy-chan..."

She sighed. "I get what you mean. I've been with the Zoro clones before. I'm not cold-hearted, I just have no pity for clones created by the Queen. They're not real. And now she has the real Zoro hidden somewhere and I can't do anything!"

Robin sighed. "Then what now? Shouldn't we find the Queen and look for Zoro?"

Lacy froze and scanned everyone on the ship.

"What's wrong?" Asked Usopp.

"Lies..." She whispered.

"Lies? But I didn't say anything."

She began to shake. "They're all... lies... everyone..."

"O-oi, what are you talking about, Lacy-chan?"

Sanji reached out to touch Lacy's shoulder, but she stepped back quickly with a terrified look on her face.

"YOU'RE ALL LIES!!"

In a flash, she captured everyone on floating bubbles filled half way with water.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Nami yelled.

"T-T-T-T-T-THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!" Shrieked Usopp.

Luffy banged on the bubble, hoping to pop it. "Lacy?!"

"D-Doushita, Lacy-chan?!"

Lacy's head dropped. "M-Minna..."

"Lacy! Stop it!" Yelled Robin.

"LACY!!" Chopper cried.

Lacy noticed Sanji trying to kick the bubble open and Robin was trying to use her technique to escape. She freaked and filled the bubbles up completely with water. "J-JUST DISAPPEAR!!"

She shut her eyes as soon as she saw her friends strive frantically for air. She threw the bubbles into the ocean and waited, panting hard. After a few minutes had passed, she raised the bubbles up and found them all filled with clay. She trembled as she fell to her knees and began to cry.

"W-Why...? Not you guys too..."

She snapped her head back up at the cliff and screamed. "WHY?! WHY DID YOU GET THEM INVOLVED, YOU BASTARDS?!"

She slammed her fist hard into the floorboards, causing it to sting horribly. "Why not me...? Just me?..."

She then noticed she made a hole in the ship, causing it to slowly turn into clay. "Even the ship... is a fake too?" She scanned the land and got off the fake Going Merry, walking back in the direction of the Queen's hideout.

* * *

Aha! You didn't forget about these characters, id you? Like Oda, I thought it'd be fun to bring some past characters back~ ;P Besides, we still have no clue what "desire" the Queen wants from Lacy, right? Did you honestly think I'd leave everyone hanging like that like some unsolved mystery?? Think again!! *insert evil laugh here* I'll post part 4 asap. ^_^


	39. Ch38: Sorcerer Part 4: Fallen

_**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE:]]**_ Eh heh... like the last chapter, this one has a lot of potty language. eh heh... *gulps* So just a heads up, there's some fairly heavy cursing in this chapter. Also, sorry I haven't posted anything in months; my laptop died back in mid-May and I just got a brand new laptop this past Friday~! So ya... Enjoy!

* * *

**---**

**CHAPTER 38: The Sorcerer (Part 4: Fallen)**

**---**

"FUCKING BASTARDS!!!!"

Lacy stormed into the broken hideout, with wet eyes and a red face.

"Ah! Miss Lacy! You've returned, I'm so glad." Nathaniel smiled.

She grabbed him by the neck and shook him. "WHY?! WHY NOT JUST ME?!"

He smiled, knowing exactly what she meant. "Because we need you to strengthen your desire." He grabbed her wrists and without any effort, released her grip.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Nate overcoming her easily. "You... SON OF A BITCH!!" She swung her fist at him, but it froze before it made contact.

Nate clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, Miss Lacy. You have quite a temper. I myself am using much of my strength to hold you back. Just think of how messy things would be if you hit me just now. Thankfully we can chat like civilized people as you stay in this frozen spell."

"YOU'LL BE A MESS ALRIGHT!! WHEN I GET OUTTA THIS, YOU'RE DEAD!! YOU HEAR ME?!"

Nate scanned Lacy for moment as something caught his eye. He touched her shoulder and gasped. "Dear God, you're greatly injured, Miss Lacy! You must've been straining your broken arm all this while, haven't you?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!"

He held up his hands over her shoulder as a bright purple light emitted from them. "I'm so glad you're holding still for this, Miss Lacy. Otherwise this would've been difficult."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!"

"Please lower your voice, my dear. I'm only trying to heal your arm. I'm afraid you've strained it too much by forcing yourself to use this arm. Ah! There, it's finished.

"STOP IT!! GET AWAY FROM ME!! I DON'T WANT YOUR GODDAMN HELP!!" She tried moving her frozen fist to his face, but failed. "WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?!"

"In good hands."

She looked up and saw the Queen standing on top of a flight of stairs, smiling. "YOU FUCKING BITCH!! WHERE'S EVERYONE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!"

"Miss Lacy!!"

"Don't you mean Zoro?" The Queen smiled.

"NO!! EVERYONE!!"

"Hmm... interesting. I thought you'd be more worried about your precious swordsman rather than everyone else."

"I CARE ABOUT EVERYONE!! STOP FUCKING AROUND AND TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE HIDING THEM!!"

She walked down the stairs towards the blonde. "You seemed to have figured out your entire crew were nothing but clones. How did you know?"

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"SILENCE!! Stop screaming already! It ruins the mood! Now you answer my questions and I'll answer yours."

Lacy tried to settle herself and spat at her. "Bitch... you're so dense!! Zoro was obvious after some quick observations. But the crew... you're getting better."

"Better?"

"The clones are almost exactly like the originals. You almost fooled me!"

She laughed. "Yes, I almost did, didn't I? You even realized I had switched the Zoro's during that encounter from the clones of your friends. How did you figure them out?"

"One: no one was surprised or even questioned how I disappeared. Two: everyone was getting worked up over me killing Zoro. Three: Robin said 'let's look for Zoro'. She only calls him Mr. Swordsman! Same thing with me. She called me by my name instead of Miss Artist. Four: Zoro only seemed to care about my ankle more than my broken arm. Knowing him a greater injury like that is far more important than a cut. And last: it took me a while, but I soon realized that the person that killed the fake Zoro, or should I say some _hand _killed Zoro! You used Robin's technique to make her hand grow out of the ground on top of the cliff and throw a weapon at Zoro!"

Nate clapped his hands together and smiled. "My my! You're learning very fast, Miss Lacy! It is indeed extraordinary."

He released the spell and Lacy dropped to the ground. She grabbed her shoulder and found it completely healed and thankful Nate had done so, so she can do more damage to the both of them. "What the hell are you going to–" Nate bent down and cut her off with a kiss. Lacy's eyes popped open in shock. She tried pushing him away, but he seemed to be gripping her with another binding spell. She kept struggling, refusing to give up so easily. Finally, he released her.

She wiped her mouth and gasped. "W-what the fuck are you doing?!"

"I am tremendously sorry! I do apologize, Miss Lacy! I-I just couldn't help myself."

"You're sick!!"

"I'm deeply, deeply sorry, Miss Lacy. You're just so... well, you're a very fascinating and kins-hearted person so seeing you healed and better just makes me so happy..."

Lacy scooted back, surprised. "What?!"

"Nathaniel! Control yourself if you know what's good for you!" The Queen snapped at him.

"Y-Yes, m'lady! I deeply apologize."

"Now... where are my... friends?" She huffed.

The Queen snapped her fingers and a light appeared behind her. Lacy could hear machinery running as a bar elevated up from the ground. She saw her friends trapped in shingles and bars, looking as if it's hopeless for them to move.

"What have you done to them?! And where's Luffy?!"

"Mugiwara? He managed to escape. He's incredibly strong! Probably stronger than your precious Zoro. The rest are all just sleeping."

She stared at her unconscious friends, then at Zoro, who had a facial expression as if he was in pain. His body even looked a bit tattered. He must have been through Hell...

"Don't worry, Miss Lacy. We didn't do anything to them."

"Except take their blood samples for your God damn clone army!!"

The Queen sighed. "We have no more use for them now that you've figured out they're fake."

"Then let them go!!"

"I'll let them go in a moment. But first..."

"You're gift is ready now, Miss Lacy~!" Nate finished the Queen's sentence.

_BA-BUMP!_

Lacy's nerves jumped. She turned around to see the green liquid filled hour glass with the sphere still floating inside. But it was different this time. The sphere had cracks and pieces chipped off everywhere. She couldn't see anything inside though, not like before with the glowing eyes. All she could see was a bright green light. She felt as though she was mesmerized, but it felt good for some strange reason; like she knew this feeling. And it felt like a warm dream.

Nate smiled. "What do you think, Miss Lacy?"

"What's... inside it?" She asked nervously.

Nate rested his hand on her shoulder and gave her a light push. "You can take a closer look if you desire."

"De...sire...?"

She took a step closer, then glanced back at the limp Zoro hanging on the bar. She took a deep breath. _I'll save you, Zoro. All of you. Lend me your strength... _Before she could reach the sphere, it shattered completely, emitting a blinding green light around the entire room. Lacy shielded her face with her arms as if expecting something to fly at her. After a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry at first from the light. She squinted to adjust her eyes, but for a while, all she could see was a strange figure standing in front of her.

Her eyes popped open in shock and her body froze. "Z...Zoro?!"

The figure smiled. It walked slowly closer to her, not wanting to overwhelm her.

_U...uso!_ Lacy glanced back at the bar where her friend's were hanging from. Her eyes widened. They were all slowly melted away like moist clay; even the Zoro one. _They were... all fakes?_ She turned back to look at the tall dark figure who now stood only a couple feet away from her.

"Doushita, Lacy?" Asked the figure.

"Z...Zoro? Is that really you?"

The green-haired swordsman stopped walking. He stood before her completely naked and wet from the liquid he was in. He smiled. "Aa. It's really me."

"B-But you were just... I thought... how do I know you're the real Zoro?"

He bent down and took a piece of the shattered glass from the sphere and made a small cut on his arm, drawing blood. "See? I'm real."

Her jaw dropped. "If you're not made out of clay... then how do I know you're not just made out of something else?"

"Well then, I guess you will just have to be the judge."

Lacy thought for a moment, turning her head away from him. _What should I do? What should I do? He could be lying, but then again he could be the real one. Then where was he the whole time?! _Then, she got an idea.

"Alright. I'll ask you one question and depending how you answer will make you the real Zoro or not."

He sighed. "Mattaku... alright."

_I'll ask him something only the real Zoro would know._ "Ok... where is my sensitive spot on my body?"

Zoro gave her a wide sly grin and walked closer to her. She felt nervous, afraid he might do something uncomfortable to her. Instead, he grabbed her hand and rested it on the left side of his chest. "Right here."

Her face turned bright red and gasped. _H-He figured out it was a trick question! He knew it was my heart!_ "Y-You're really Zoro!"

"Of course I am." He had her fingers trace his scar and gave her a passionate kiss. "We're finally together, Lacy..." He paused for a moment and noticed her damaged body. "What happened to you?!"

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Them. I was looking for you, then everyone turned into clay."

He smiled and rested his chin on her head. "Baka. Why are you always so reckless?"

Her face felt hot as she rested it against his bare chest, forgetting that the Queen and Nate were watching. "But... where were you this whole time? Why didn't you come to save me?"

"Blame the blue bitch for that." He glared at the Queen. "She tricked me and turned me into an experiment in order to save you. I'm sorry."

Lacy noticed he was eyeing the Queen and so she glared at her as well. "What did she do to you?!"

The Queen laughed. "That's completely my business."

"Where are his clothes and swords?! What did you do to him?!"

Nate took a step forward. "We are innocent, Miss Lacy. We did not harm him."

"I KNOW you did something!! What happened to–"

Zoro squeezed her closer to him. "It's ok, Lacy. As far as I know, I'm ok."

He kissed her gently again, only this time it was longer. She was soon lost in her own world, forgetting everything: her fears, troubles, pain, frustration, Nate, the Queen, her friends...

--------------------------------------------------

"Uhn... what... happened?"

Sanji blinked a few times before completely opening his eyes. He looked around at the wide clear room he was in, then noticed he was chained. "W-What the hell is going on?!"

"We were attacked."

"Eh? Nami-san! Daijoubu ka?!"

"Eh. But where are we?"

"Looks like some sort of castle." Observed Robin.

Sanji smiled. "Robin-chan!"

"Eh?! Everyone's been captured?!" Gasped Nami.

All three of them looked on both sides of them and found the rest of the crew hanging from bars; chained up and unconscious.

"Are? Where's Lacy-chan?" Asked Sanji.

Nami scanned her friends again. "And Luffy?"

"He managed to escape."

All three of them turned their attention to the center of the room. There stood a tall blue-skinned woman with exotic clothes on and a strange blue headdress.

Sanji's eyes turned into hearts. "AAH~!! KAWAII ONNA~!!"

"Who are you?" Asked Nami.

Her lips curled. "I am the keeper of this castle. You may call me 'Your Highness'."

Robin's eyes widened and she went numb. "_You're_ the Queen?!"

She laughed. "Yes. I see you've heard of me. I'm flattered."

Sanji looked at Robin then back at the Queen. "The Queen?! She's the one that captured Lacy-chan back on that other island?!"

Nami shook. "Hontou?!"

The Queen laughed. "Yes, that was me~! Though it seems you and that mugiwara boy got in the way of my plans. Thankfully my men returned to me safely."

"But we defeated them back then! We went over the cliff!" Yelled Sanji.

"Did you see them land?"

Sanji felt nervous. "Well... no. But how could they've survived that drop?! There was nothing to grab onto!"

She chuckled. "They're sorcerers after all. And they brought me back some gifts." She held up a slender tray of small test tubes; one with a blonde strand of hair inside, one with black with blue shines, orange, 2 others with a black strand one straight one curly, and brown fur.

"What are those?" Asked Robin.

"DNA samples. From your hair."

Sanji's eyes popped opened. "WHUH?! How did you–?!"

"What? Did you think my men were just fighting you blindly? They were helping me with my research. Then took your other friends when they finally captured you."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Research? What kind of research?"

She let out a loud laugh. "Clones of course~!! To make the perfect clone so that I may receive my long awaited reward~!"

"Reward?" Repeated Robin.

"Heh heh. Nathaniel!"

Nate leaned over the stair railing overhead and smiled. He pulled a lever down. In the center where the Queen stood, the floor opened into the shape of a large circle; but the Queen did not fall. Instead, a large tube slowly emerged with the Queen standing on top of it as it rose. Everyone's eyes widened as the large tube finally stopped.

Robin's mouth went dry. "What... what's going on?!"

Inside the tube revealed 2 naked figures floating in green liquid.

Nami gasped. "Z-ZORO?! LACY?!"

"NANI?!" Sanji looked over down the bars where his crew mates hung and found Zoro still hanging at the end. "What the hell is going on?! Which one's the real Zoro?!"

The Queen sat on top of the tube and crossed her legs, giggling. "The one with you, of course."

Nami began to sweat. "Then... who's that in the tube?"

The Queen let out an evil laugh, sending chills down everyone's spines.

"OI!! ANSWER US!!" Shouted Sanji.

The Queen just kept laughing. Her laugh managed to wake up Usopp and Chopper.

"Huh...? Where are we?" Asked the little deer.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! WHY ARE WE CHAINED UP?! WHERE'S LUFFY?!" Screamed Usopp.

"Shut up long nose!!" Sanji snapped.

Nami grinded her teeth together and turned towards the real Zoro. "Zoro! Wake up!! Lacy's in trouble! ZORO!!"

The swordsman slowly opened his eyes, as if he were waking up from one of his normal naps. "Why do you have to scream all the time, woman?"

Sanji's head snapped at the direction of Zoro's voice. "KISAMA!! DO YOU REALLY HAVE TIME TO NAP?! I THOUGHT YOU WENT TO GO SAVE LACY-CHAN?!"

"Huh?! What?!"

Chopper panicked. "Zoro! Look!"

The swordsman turned his head towards the front and twitched. He saw his blue-eyed wonder floating in green liquid, entwined in another Zoro's arms. She looked so happy and content having her arms wrapped around his body and his around hers. Their legs entangled each other as their closeness and trust seemed clear. What he really noticed though, was that they were floating naked with each other while they looked like they were unconscious.

"LACY!!"

The Queen's laugh settled. "Well well! It's about time you woke up, Roronoa Zoro."

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

"Nothing. Actually. At least not yet."

"She's happy in her own world now, Mr. Zoro. Please be quiet." Nate said, coming down the stairs to join them. "Besides, she's perfectly safe inside there. That's not water or any substance that would hurt her. In fact, you can even breathe in it, hence why she's not drowning or hooked up to a ventilator."

"You bastard!! Let her go!!"

"Who is that?!" Asked Chopper, still confused about the extra Zoro in the tube.

"He's Roronoa Zoro." Replied the Queen.

"Don't fuck around!!!" Zoro snapped. "I'm right here! the real me!"

"You don't believe me? But he is. He's you."

Robin's jaw dropped. "Masaka!! Don't tell me he's the perfect clone?!"

"The perfect clone?" Repeated Usopp.

"Hee hee. Yes, we were talking earlier about how I was creating a unique clone. And after much hard work and observation, I was finally able to create the perfect clone. He is flawless."

"Don't screw with us!" Zoro laughed. "Lacy would've figured it out! You tricked her somehow!"

"Actually, she thought it was the real you, Mr. Zoro." Nate commented. "And she was able to figure out all the other fakes."

"Nani?!"

"She even questioned him to see if he was the real thing, and he said the right answer. She was convinced."

"Is that why you needed me so badly?! To make a clone?! I KNEW you were up to something, you bitch! You said her life was in danger!!"

"But it was! We needed to complete our experiment by using your memories and more DNA samples for our clone. Otherwise she would suffer without you~!"

Zoro flinched. "KISAMAAAA!!!"

"Impossible!!" Cried Nami.

"Hahahahaha!! Just like I said, the perfect clone~!" Chuckled the Queen. "Your personality, your memories, your thoughts, your strength, he could be your identical twin that's how perfectly real he is!"

"But why?! What is your Goddamn purpose for a clone?!" Zoro shouted.

"Mostly for the sake of magic and science. But mostly for the young girl's desire. I want it."

"YOU KEEP SAYING YOU WANT HER DAMN DESIRE!! WHAT THE HELL IS IT ALREADY?!"

"You should know if you're really her lover."

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME BITCH!!" Zoro's arms tensed up. He pulled the chains on his wrists in front of him with all his strength, snapping them into little pieces.

"Ah! H-He's strong!" Nate said nervously.

Zoro panted and drew his swords. "NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT, BASTARD!!"

"Why didn't you take his swords away?!" The Queen shouted at Nate.

"OI MARIMO HEAD!! Wanna get US down as well?!" Grunted Sanji loudly. Zoro swung his sword hard behind him without looking first. Sanji ducked as he saw the blade rushing towards his head. As soon as he did so, the sword sliced the chains on his wrists and released him. Sanji fell to the floor hard, landing on his stomach. "BASTARD!!"

"Sanji-kun!! Shut up and help us!!" Nami shouted at him.

Sanji grinded his teeth. "Fine! I'll deal with you later asshole! Coming Nami-san!" Sanji kicked the chains hard and released everyone.

"You know... I think Zoro was sort of helping you get down, Sanji." Pondered Usopp.

A vein popped in Sanji's forehead. "Shut up long nose!! And as for you, you asshole–!!" As soon as he turned around, Zoro was already running towards Nate with all three blades out.

"ONI... GIRIIIIIIIII!!!" Just when Zoro swung to attack, Nate held out his arm and formed a strong sphere around him for protection.

"I'm afraid you won't catch me off guard again, Mr. Zoro. I've learned from the past."

"Bastard!! Release Lacy now!! Or so help me–!!"

Nate cut him off. "Miss Lacy will remain where she is. She's happy here and doesn't want to leave."

"Fucking liar!!"

"Oh? I don't think so. See her facial expression?" Zoro glanced in the direction Nate was pointing. "Her smile is priceless. She won't go with you."

"FUCKER!! I'M TAKING HER WITH ME BY FORCE IF I HAVE TO!!"

He noticed Nate glaring at him as soon as he said that, as if he struck the wrong nerve. "NO YOU WON'T!!" He fired an energy ball from his palms, destroying the protective sphere and hitting Zoro. He flew though the air in pain, but landed safely on his feet while holding his shoulder.

_What the hell was that just now?! _He thought._ It was fast! _He glanced quickly over at the tube then back at Nate. "Look! I don't have time with the likes of you!" He smirked as he switched targets and ran towards the Queen instead. Just before he reached her, another energy ball exploded in front of him. He looked back at Nate.

"I'm your opponent, Mr. Zoro! Please don't ignore me!"

Suddenly, a loud cry was heard through the walls. Before they knew it, Luffy flew down through the roof and landed hard into the floor like a rocket.

"L-LUFFY?!" Nami said surprised.

Chopper smiled wide. "LUFFY~!"

The Queen leaned forward a bit at the hole Luffy made. "Mugiwara?!"

He stood up and brushed himself off and adjusted his straw-hat. "Eeeeeeeh! That was dangerous!!"

"Oi teemee!!" Sanji cursed at him. "Where the hell were you all this whole time?!"

"Are? Sanji? Minna? What are you all doing?"

Usopp tensed up. "WE WERE CAPTURED, KONO BAKA!!"

"Eh? Oh yeah~! I remember now. That's what those men were doing in the jungle. You were all captured? You look fine to me."

Robin stepped forward. "Senchou-san! Look!" She pointed at the green glowing tube.

Luffy's eyes bulged with surprise. "AREEEE?! HOW'S LACY AND ZORO BREATHING IN WATER?!"

Sanji and Nami hit Luffy hard over the head. "BAKA!! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE SITUATION!!"

"Luffy! Distract this guy while I deal with that woman!!" Ordered Zoro.

Luffy looked at Nate, then up at the top of the tube then back at Zoro. "Zoro?! Aren't you in that bowl?"

"I'M THE REAL ZORO!! HE'S A FAKE, BAKA!!"

"A fake?"

"Senchou-san! That's the Queen from before when she kidnapped Miss Artist and she's made a perfect clone of Zoro that's inside that tube now." Explained Robin.

Luffy's eyes went wide and angry as he turned to look up at the Queen once again. "That's the Queen?!" He clenched his fists hard into a ball. "You're the one who took my nakama away and kidnaped Lacy that other time?!"

"Heh heh. So what if I am?"

Luffy stood in a fighting position and gave her a terrifying glare. "URUSANEEEEEE!!!"

"MATTE LUFFY!!" Zoro shouted at his captain. "I'M going to fight her! I can't forgive her for what she's done to Lacy!!"

Luffy looked back and forth between Zoro and the Queen. "Yosh. So be it. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I'll deal with glasses over there!"

Zoro smirked. "Hn. Thanks."

They switched places, with Sanji joining Luffy. The others decided it would be safer if they stood aside and out of everyone's way; for they knew there would be destruction and chaos eventually.

--------------------------------------------------

"Lacy, are you happy?" Zoro asked.

She nodded against his chest. "Of course. I'm with you. What could be better?"

"Do you love me?"

"What kind of a question is that? I'll love you til the day I die."

He smiled. "I feel the same way about you."

There was a bit of peace until Lacy broke the silence. "Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"Can we stay like this... forever?"

He squeezed her tight. "Baka. We're not going anywhere. We'll be here in each other's arms for all eternity."

She smiled. They laid there in the soft green grass as they basked in the sun. A cool breeze blew through their hair, sending them a wave of comfort throughout their bodies as they held each other close. They would stay with each other forever. Just the two of them. Without a worry or care in the world. No one to rip them apart. No one to threaten or bother them. No pain. No suffering. No crew...

--------------------------------------------------

Zoro fought with all his might, but he could lay even a scratch on the Queen. She moved to fast, dodging his attacks and toying with him.

"KISAMAAA!!" He swung at her head and managed to hit her, but she was nothing more than an illusion as the body he swung at slowly disappeared and laughter snuck up behind him.

"I don't know what that little girl sees in you, Roronoa Zoro."

"BITCH!!" He cut downwards at her, but she caught the blade perfectly in her palms.

"My my, aren't we violent and wild?"

"What the hell is this desire you want from her?!"

"It's no one's business, but my own! And besides, it may already be too late for her."

"Nani?!" He turned around and saw Lacy still floating in the tube with the copy of Zoro. But she seemed different. He body began to glow a light pinkish-orange color, while the Zoro remained the same. "What's happening?!"

"Hee hee~! It has finally begun. Her life is slowly being sucked away like a leech!"

"NANDA TOU?!"

"In order for me to obtain her desire, she must of course, be sacrificed. Her life will become mine. Our souls fused together to create a new being. But don't worry, she won't even know she's dying."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Didn't you hear Nathaniel earlier? She's in her own world now; a world she created on her own and placed in her mind. She's trapped there by her own free will, refusing to leave."

"Then why me?! Why use me as bait this whole time to torture her like this?! Why make her suffer?!"

The Queen's eyes widened with anger. "What do you know about suffering?! She's mine now!!"

"THEN WHY ME?!"

"You are the key to her happiness, her personality, even her desire. Cloning you will make her bring out her desire at it's maximum, but ONLY if it's the real you!"

"That's the purpose behind making the 'perfect' clone?! For your own Goddamn selfish needs?!"

Zoro broke loose from her grasp and attacked her right away. She would deflect with magic and spells, sending Zoro either flying through the air or plowing into the ground.

"KUSO!! LACY!!"

--------------------------------------------------

"Eh?"

Lacy turned her head away from Zoro and looked off into the distance. She sat up and scanned the horizon.

"Hm? Doushita, Lacy?" Zoro asked, sitting up as well.

"I... could've sworn I heard someone call my name."

"I think you imagined it. I didn't hear anything."

"Maybe... wait! There it was again!"

"What?"

"My name. Someone's calling me."

Zoro placed his hands behind his ears to listen more closely. "Who? I don't hear a thing."

She stood up, still gazing at the ocean in a few yards away from them. "No... there's someone there. Calling out to me."

"Are they in trouble or something?"

"I've heard this voice somewhere before..."

"Lacy, you're imagining it. Come lay back down with me."

She still stood there staring. "I know this voice..."

--------------------------------------------------

"Release her!!"

Zoro created a tornado powerful enough to blow away all of the lightning balls being thrown at him. He huffed, as he got up on one knee and leaned against his sword for balance. _This isn't good. We've been fighting for 30 minutes and I haven't made so much as a damn scratch on her! What is her weak point? There's GOT to be one!! CHIKUSO!!!_

"Are you going to give up now, Roronoa Zoro? You know, you're free to go. We no longer have any use for you here."

He chuckled. "Hn! Do you really think I'm going to just leave here just like that? I'm taking Lacy back even if it means forfeiting my life! I won't quit until my I breathe my last!"

"Then so be it!"

The Queen emitted more lightning spheres from her hands and launched them at the swordsman. He ran around the room like a cat playing with a mouse; dodging the balls.

"Hahahaha!! Is that all you can do, Roronoa Zoro? Just running around like a scared little boy?"

Just then, Zoro got an idea. He kept running in a circle around the room with the lightning still chasing after him, exploding all around. Until he finally positioned himself just right, he stood still, waiting for the Queen's next attack. As predicted, she launched several lightning balls towards him. It wasn't until the last second when he jumped as high as he could into the air, making the spheres exploded in front of the tube.

The Queen gasped, not realizing what she had done. "What?! No!!!"

The explosion was huge, causing the tube to crack, releasing the green liquid slowly, then increasing as the crack began to slowly become larger; spreading like a spider web throughout the entire tube.

"Shimata!" Shouted Zoro, running towards the tube. "She's going to be trapped within the glass! Lacy!! LACY!!"

--------------------------------------------------

"Lacy?"

She walked towards the ocean in a hypnotic motion, ignoring Zoro's calls.

"Lacy? What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"Gomen, Zoro. It's just... someone I know is calling to me."

"Who, Lacy?"

_LACY!!_

Her eyes grew wide and she froze in her steps. "Huh?"

"Lacy? C'mon, get back here."

_LACY!! I'M COMING!! HOLD ON!!_

Before she realized what she was doing, Lacy ran into the ocean with hesitating.

Zoro stood up and ran after her. "O-oi, Lacy!! Stop! What are you doing?! You can't swim!!"

She kept going, the water raising more and more with each step she took until she was completely submerged under the ocean.

_LACY!!_

She sank deeper from the ocean's surface, which to her surprise, became deeper and deeper with each second. She opened her eyes a little bit, her body frozen and weak. Then she saw a bright light shining in front of her in the distance. It seemed to be throbbing; like a heart beating. Suddenly, a hand appeared through the light, reaching out for her. Her eyes popped opened all the way as she gasped an awe.

_LACY!! I'M HERE FOR YOU!!_

_Zoro..._ She thought. _Zoro... Zoro..._

--------------------------------------------------

"ZORO!!!"

The swordsman caught her in his arms just as she fell from the shattered tube, causing the Zoro in the tube to disintegrate into complete nothingness. She gasped for air and looked around frantically at her surroundings. Her body shook uncontrollably and kept grabbing onto Zoro for dear life.

"Z-Z-Z...Zo-Zo..Zoro..!!" She stuttered.

He cradled her close to him, holding her bridal style in his arms. "Ssshh! It's ok now, Lacy. It's me. The real me! No clone this time, I swear on your life I'm no clone!"

"Z-Z-Zo-Zoro!!" She clung to him like a frightened child, unable to stop shaking.

He knelt onto one knee and quickly took off his shirt, balancing Lacy between his legs. He clothed Lacy's wet, shivering naked body with his shirt and picked her back up; holding her tightly as if she might run away.

"You son of a bitch!! What did you do to her?!"

"Impossible...!!" The Queen shook her head slowly, not wanting to believe what had just happened. "This is... impossible!! How was she able to snap out of that dream world?! _Her _dream world?! She created it with her own mind and power! I-It's what she wanted! Everything was in order! The perfect clone... a painless death... everything! And now it was all destroyed by a mere little explosion?! What went wrong?!"

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HER?!" He repeated impatiently. Lacy kept shaking in his arms without ever settling down. She was now starting to pant heavily.

"She's... experiencing the side effects from within the chamber." Nate explained, in shock as well. "Plus her life force was being drained, so she's trying to gain it all back."

The Queen shook. "My life force... it should be mine...!"

Zoro let out a deep sigh. _Yougatta... She's alright. She's strong, she'll be fine after a while. I'm not sure how long it'll take for her to get better, but I know she can tolerate it for the time being..._ He turned his back on the Queen and walked over to the corner where Nami and the others stood.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" The Queen yelled at him. "Don't you turn your back on me!! Bring me back my providence!!"

Zoro ignored her and stood in front of Usopp. "Watch over her until my battle's over. Got it?!"

Usopp nodded. "U-un..." The sniper held out his arms to receive Lacy, but she refused to let go of Zoro.

He stared at her shaken pale face. "Lacy, you have to let go. You're going to be alright."

"D-d-don... don't g-go... p-p-please...! Z-Z-Z-Zoro..."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "Listen to me, Lacy. I'm going to be right back, I swear. You're just going to go with Usopp and the others for a little while."

"Na... n-no... Don't... l-l-leave...!!"

"We'll be apart for only a moment, got it?! You've got to be strong, Lacy!"

She stared at him for a while, not wanting to leave her alone again. He looked down at her, giving her his sweetest smile. She slowly released her grip on him, and nodded. Zoro kissed her forehead and handed her over to Usopp. He nodded, insuring her safety for Zoro. He smiled back at Usopp and ran after the Queen.

"HOW DARE YOU!! SHE IS MINE!! YOU CANNOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!!"

Zoro swooped below her and punched her hard in the cheek, sending her flying backwards and landing on her back. "Take her away from you?! You must really be full of shit!! You took her away from _us_!! And you're saying you don't want us to take her away from you?!"

"I WILL HAVE HER DESIRE!! WITHOUT FAIL!!"

Zoro swung another punch at her, this time in the gut. The Queen fell over onto her side while grasping her stomach. He stood over her, with his sword an inch away from her face. "If you want her desire so badly, you have to get through me first!!"

"H-How are you able to touch me?! I'm a powerful sorcerer!!"

He sneered. "Hn! Powerful? You say that after letting your guard down like this? You're weak in the mind, admit it! You weren't like this before that tube shattered! You're distracted now!"

"N-NOOOO!!" She disappeared and stood up behind him with a lightning blade in her hand, ready to strike.

But before she could hit him, without looking, he used his "Thousand Worlds" technique on her. She stood there for a long while, staring off into the distance.

"You're only strong if you have faith and belief!" Zoro placed his swords back into their sheaths. As soon as the last sword made a clicking noise, the Queen fell onto the floor. "You'll never be able to overcome Lacy. It's impossible." He smiled. "It's just they way she is. No one owns her."

He then limped towards Nate, who was still fighting Luffy and Sanji; and was losing. They all look battered and worn out. Luffy's clothes had ripped and it seemed he was struck in the forehead and shoulders. Sanji's jacket was gone and his legs were bleeding. As for Nate, his glasses were cracked, his pants were ripped, and he kept coughing up blood.

"M-M'LADY!!!" He had noticed the Queen lying on the floor with blood trickling from underneath her body. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"ARAAA~?! Oooooooooh~~! Zoro! You're done already?"

"What to you mean 'already'?! It took forever to take her down! You're just talking too much, baka yarou!!"

Nate shook in fury. "How could you do that to her Majesty?! I'll never forgive you!!"

Luffy punched him in the mouth while his guard was down, while Sanji kicked him downwards, nailing him to the ground. He coughed up blood again, only this time it seemed serious. All three of the men stood over his body, glaring at him.

"Maybe you can tell us what Lacy-chan had that the Queen wanted?"

"I shall never–!"

Zoro's blade quickly cut the ground inches from Nate's head, forcing him to lie still. "Would you rather tell us or shall we use force?!" He threatened.

"What's going on?" Asked Luffy.

Sanji shook his fist at him. "Urusai teemee!! You're too slow and you won't get it anyways!"

Luffy whined. "Awwwwwwww! You guys are so mean!! I'm the captain!"

"Where is Miss Lacy?!" Nate huffed.

"Why do you care?!" Snapped Zoro.

"IS SHE ALRIGHT?!" He yelled.

Zoro stared at the pathetic man for a while, wondering what his deal was. "She's safe now from you and all the other magic assholes that might harm her."

Nate let out a relieving sigh. "Sou desu ka? Yougatta..."

"Nanda? What's this guys deal?" Pondered Luffy.

"What? Are you worried your 'key' might be destroyed for your sick ploy?" Sanji spat.

"No. I'm just thankful she is alive and well."

Zoro knelt down next to him and grabbed him violently by the shirt collar. "Look! What's you're deal with her?!"

Nate closed his eyes and smiled. "Hn. Miss Lacy was a sweet girl with kind eyes and a gentle smile. I even felt deeply moved when she came storming in here searching for her friends. We all thought she'd only look for you, but she was willing to fight for everyone. I feel simply terrible with the way I treated her. I felt bad when I heard we needed her life in order to fulfill her Majesty's task. So I suggested making her die peacefully. The perfect clone was my gift to her."

"So that bowl was a present to her from you?" Asked Luffy.

Sanji kicked him in the head. "It's not a bowl, baka! It's a experimental tube!"

Nate grabbed Zoro's wrist and stared into his eyes with a stern facial expression. "She loves you, Mr. Zoro. With all her heart and soul. You must take good care of her. She needs you more than anyone else in this world. If you do not do this, I'll make sure you are cursed in the afterlife."

Zoro's brow shot up and he grunted. "You're telling me to take care of her? Isn't that why I'm here? To make sure bastards like you don't touch her?!"

He chuckled. "So you are, Mr. Zoro... So you are..." With that, his head fell back and his body went limp in Zoro's grasp.

"O-oi!" Luffy bent down over his body. "Is he dead?!"

"Seems so." Sanji confirmed.

Zoro grunted. "Kuso!"

"What is it?" Zoro ignored him and walked back to where Lacy and the others were. They ran towards Zoro with Usopp still carrying Lacy.

"Are you alright?" Chopper asked Zoro.

"I'm fine. How is she?"

Usopp looked down at Lacy. "She's not shaking so much anymore, but..."

"She seems to be hallucinating a little bit." Nami finished his sentence.

"What do you mean?"

Robin stepped forward. "She keeps thinking someone's after you or that we're all clones."

"Well could you blame her?!" Zoro didn't realize he was yelling. "Look what she's been through!"

"Zoro, calm down!!" Nami spoke nervously.

"She'll be alright." Chopper said shyly.

"Really?! That's great~!" Cooed Sanji, along with Luffy joining the others.

"As for you!" Started Nami in an annoyed tone at Luffy. "Where were you this whole time while we were captured?!"

"Hee hee~! I escaped! Those guys were nothing!"

"Didn't they use any spells on you?" Asked Usopp.

"Yup~! But they were too slow, especially since I used my Gum Gum slingshot on them~!"

"Lemme guess, you goofed up and accidentally blew them away, am I right?" Sighed Nami. Luffy gave her a nervous laugh. "I knew it..."

Lacy's eyes popped open and she squirmed in Usopp's arms. "Z-Z-Zo...ro?"

The swordsman took her back into his arms and cradled her like before. She clung onto him again, trying to curl up into a ball. "Doushita, Lacy?"

"W-w-wha... where's N-N-Nate and... t-the Q-Q-Quee... Quee..."

"Try not to talk. It's ok. They won't bother you anymore. You're safe at last." She smiled at the sound of his soft response and fell into a deep sleep in his arms, still twitching a bit.

"Ah! Lacy-chan!"

"Daijoubu." Chopper took a step towards Lacy. "She's sleeping. Her body's going to try regenerate everything that was drained from her... whatever it was."

"G-GIVE ME BACK M-MY PROVIDENCE!!"

Everyone turned around and gasped as they saw the Queen stumble onto her feet while holding her stomach.

Usopp screamed. "S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-SHE'S ALIIIIIIIVE!!"

Nami took a step back. "S-stop it! Leave us alone!!"

Robin crossed her arms. "_Sies Fleur_!" 6 arms grew around the Queen: 2 out of her shoulders holding into her neck, 2 out of her shoulder blades holding her arms back, and 2 out of the ground gripping her ankles.

"REALEASE ME!! I MUST HAVE HER DESIRE OR ELSE!!"

Just then, she noticed Luffy running below her. And as if he was in slow motion, he punched her hard in the face. "Gumo Gumo no... PISUTOLU!!!!"

The Queen flew through what was left of the shattered tube and skidded across the floor until she landed in the river flowing through inside of the castle. She floated for a moment until her body began to slowly sink towards her watery grave.

Before she completely submerged, she coughed up blood. "You... will all pay in the afterlife... especially you, Roronoa Zoro... and that damn girl. I hope you both suffer..."

They all watched her as she finally disappeared into the water. They saw a few bubbles pop at the surface, then soon completely vanished, as did Nate. They noticed his body glow and then slowly turn to dust before their eyes.

"Was that... magic?" Pondered Usopp.

"Eh." Robin responded. "His very last.

"Do you think the Queen's body did the same thing?" Asked Sanji.

"Saa naa. But at least they're gone for good."

"I hope so..." Gulped Nami.

"If not, I'll kill them." Zoro said in a stern voice.

Nami looked at Zoro's relieved facial expression. "Zoro..."

--------------------------------------------------

They all headed back to the real Going Merry and loaded up necessary supplies for their next voyage. In between, Chopper tried tending to everyone's wounds, but they all refused and insisted that Lacy came first. Finally, it was time to leave and forget this horrible memory forever.

As they sailed off towards the next destination, Nami noticed Zoro standing behind the bow's railing, with his arms across his chest and his back to the ship.

"Ne... Zoro?"

He turned his head slightly to look back at the nervous navigator. "What?" He grunted.

"Not to sound like I'm teasing or anything, but what you did back there was, well, another side of you."

"What does that mean?"

"I-I mean... seeing you so protective and loving was, just a different side of you we've never seen before."

"How the hell was a suppose to act?! Those bastards were treating Lacy like an experiment in that damn tube and toying with her like some lab rat! Now she's acting crazy!"

Nami finally gathered her courage and stepped up beside Zoro. "You don't have to take out your anger on everyone else you know! Besides, the side effects are wearing off and she should be fine soon. I was just saying you act different in a good way when Lacy's in danger!"

Zoro looked surprised at her. "...Souka..."

She giggled a little and slapped him on the back hard, sending him off balance a bit. "You're still a big oaf that still owes me money~!"

"Not NOW woman!!"

She shooed her hand at him. "Fine, fine. Just don't stare off into the distance for too long; or else you might fall overboard."

"Hmph! You wish!"

She smiled and walked back towards the cabin where Sanji stood greeting her and Robin with sweet treats.

Zoro stared at the ocean a while longer then decided to pay a visit to Lacy, who was now fully treated as he guessed. When he finally made it to the room, he found Lacy sitting up with her face buried in her pillow, which was resting on her knees.

"L-Lacy! What are you doing up?!" He ran towards her quickly, but before he reached her, she lifted her head up.

"Zoro?"

He stopped short in front of her. "A-ah... You're not shaking anymore. Are you alright? You shouldn't be up like this so soon."

"...I feel fine."

He noticed her wet eyes, then glanced at her soaked pillow. "Why where you... crying?" He sat next to her on the bed, but before he could settle himself, she threw herself into his arms.

"Don't ever leave me! It was so painful, Zoro! I've never been more terrified in my life! I love you! Don't go!"

"L-Lacy! I'm not going anywhere, I swear! C'mon... what happened? Tell me what she did to you and what happened in that tube."

She just sobbed in his arms like a child. "Don't leave, please!"

"Lacy, snap out of it! What happened with–"

"LACY?!"

Chopper ran into the room over to Lacy's bedside, with Sanji leaning against the doorway.

"Trying to make her feel worse, marimo head?" Sanji sneered.

"Urusei, yarou!!"

Chopper ignored them. "Lacy! What are you doing up?! Your fever's going to get worse!"

She wiped her tears and gave Chopper a smile; or at least tried to. "I'm fine. I'm feeling much better."

"Can you two beat it? We were having a conversation here!" Zoro butted in.

"Lacy-chan needs her rest! So you need to leave!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Stop it you two!" Cried Chopper. "Lacy still has a fever, so we all just need to leave and–"

As soon as Chopper spoke, Lacy quickly grabbed Zoro's shirt. "N-No! Zoro can't leave! He needs to stay–" Suddenly, she fell over, with Zoro catching her in his arms.

"O-oi, Lacy!"

Chopper made himself large and picked Lacy up into his arms, cradling her. "Her fever's rising, she needs more rest."

"See that, ass wipe? You made her feel even worse!" Sanji snapped.

Zoro glared at the blonde cook. "Kisama!! Go away or I swear I'll–!"

"It's alright."

Everyone drew their attention to Lacy, who was panting in Chopper's arms.

"Lacy-chan..."

"I'm fine, Zoro. You... can go. I'm still feeling a bit dizzy. I just need to rest."

"See?" Chopper sighed. "You can't always act like you're fine and shake off the fever. You rest a while." Lacy nodded as he laid her back in bed and pulled the sheets up for her.

"We weren't finished talking. I still have to–"

Before Zoro could finish his sentence, Chopper picked Zoro up by the shirt collar and carried him out of the room, with Sanji closing the door behind them.

"KISAMA!! Lemme go!! Lacy and I were–!"

"URUSEI!!" Chopper yelled, dropping the swordsman back on his feet. "You can't talk to her til she's all better!!"

"We were in the middle of something important then you two had to come in and interrupt!! I just want to know what happened!!"

Sanji yanked Zoro by his shirt collar. "Will you listen to Chopper for once, lettuce head?!"

Zoro swatted his hand away from him. "And you have no right to interfere!!"

"SHE COULD DIE ZORO!!"

Both men looked at the overgrown deer and saw his swelling eyes.

"...What do you mean?" Zoro ordered.

"Remember what the Queen said?" Asked Sanji. "She was draining Lacy-chan's spirit!"

"Yeah, and?!"

"She needs sleep in order to regain herself."

"Regain herself?" Zoro repeated.

Chopper nodded. "I read in a medical book that a spirit can be regenerated while sleeping when the body's at rest. Robin even told me this was true in some of the books she's read."

"So she has so sleep in order to get better?" Zoro asked.

"That's what it looks like."

Zoro clenched his fists tightly. "Kuso...! Does she know this?"

"Saa naa. Maybe. But she knows she's weak right now. The Queen shook her up pretty bad."

"I remember, ok?! You don't need to bring it up!" Zoro walked down the hall, leaving Sanji and Chopper to stare at his back.

"Damn marimo head." Sanji mumbled.

"You can't really blame him, Sanji. You saw what the Queen did to Lacy."

Sanji spat in an annoying manner. "I know. But he's acting like he's the only one affect by it."

--------------------------------------------------

That evening, Zoro paid Lacy another visit. Thankfully, she was sound asleep this time with the quilt pulled comfortably over her shoulders. She looked as if she was sleeping like her normal self; without any problems at all. He walked closer to her, when he suddenly tripped.

"Wah...!"

He fell to the ground hard, planting his face into the floorboards. He cursed under his breath and looked at his feet to see what cause him to fall. He noticed a black cord leading from the wall out lit to a computer.

Zoro scratched his head. "It's just Lacy's laptop."

Just then, as he was adjusting the cord, it jerked the laptop and turned off the black screen saver and revealing an opened document. Zoro scooted closer to the laptop, looking back a couple times to see if Lacy woke up.

"Kuso." He whispered. "She was on her computer when she needs to–!"

He stopped short and noticed his name in the opened document. He sat in front of the screen, curiously staring at the document. He realized it was her private online journal she had typed in and he knew he wasn't suppose to read it, but it was an odd and short entry. And it was from earlier today. He glanced back one more time at Lacy then back at the screen and began to read:

_Dear Journal,_

_Why do people suffer? Why must we feel pain and feed off of our sorrows? The past few days, I've learned the meaning of truly being lonely. The Queen's dream was almost a reality no thanks to my selfish ways. It seems though I have discovered her desire; or should I say the desire I possessed that she wanted so badly. It must've been painful and hard for her to struggle to have me. I'm not special no matter what anyone says. So why me? Why does it seem like I'm the "chosen one" to her? The Queen's desire to have mine was truly powerful. Now I give her my sympathy for wanting it so badly..._

_The desire to be loved._

_~L.J._

Zoro glanced back over at the sleeping blonde with a worried expression. He sighed and leaned back, having his arms balancing his weight.

"The desire to be loved? What does that mean...?"

--------------------------------------------------

Finally, after a few more days of rest and sleep, Lacy was fully recovered; and with much enthusiasm.

It was a beautiful sunny Spring day without a cloud in sight. Robin and Nami were relaxing in lounge chairs with Robin reading a book and Nami reading the newspaper. Chopper and Luffy were sitting on the rail fishing, and Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro were sitting on the floor playing cards. The cabin door to the top deck swung opened. A skinny little blonde walked onto the balcony with her hands on her hips, legs apart, and a smile from ear to ear.

"What's the matter guys? No one's out of control yet today?"

Everyone looked up and smiled as they saw Lacy standing proud and as healthy and energetic as ever.

"LACY-CHWA~!!"

Luffy spun around and smiled wide. "Oooooh~! Lacy~! You're better~!"

"How are you feeling?" Asked Nami.

"Completely cured~!" Lacy responded.

"Yo."

She looked down and saw her green-haired wonder smiling up at her with his arms crossed. She smiled back and jumped over the railing. She landed on her feet, but lost her balance and fell back onto her bottom. She laughed at herself.

"Cured and as reckless as ever, I see." Zoro chuckled and offered a hand to her.

She gladly accepted and he pulled her up. But once she was on her feet, she glomped him and fell on top of him as he landed on his back. "I missed your smile~!"

Usopp covered Chopper's eyes. "Kids shouldn't be seeing this!"

Chopper tried swatting his hand away. "You look better Lacy. Any drowsiness or pain at all?"

Lacy got off of Zoro and helped him up. "Nope~! I got plenty of rest like you said. And now I'm behind in my manga, so hopefully I can get more art done soon!"

"Well, you must be starving, Lacy-chan~!" Sanji rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the cabin door. "I'll whip up something delicious and special for you~!"

She waved at him. "Thank you Sanji~!"

Luffy stretched over by Lacy and got in her face. "Since you're all better, will you continue your 'Adduen' story for us now?"

She leaned back away from his face and sighed happily. "Don't worry, Luffy. I will, but not right now. Maybe later tonight?"

Luffy threw his arms in the air and jumped with joy. "YAY~!!" Soon Chopper and Usopp joined in on Luffy's excited.

While they had their own little meaningless celebration, Zoro gently tugged on Lacy's arm. "Come with me."

She followed him to the back of the ship where they could have some privacy.

Lacy shielded her eyes from the bright sun. "Wow... It seems like forever since I last saw the sun. Heh heh, I sound like a vampire."

"Is everything alright?"

She turned towards Zoro, who gave her an extremely serious look with his arms crossed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about us. Me. You. Is everything ok?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

He sighed. "I saw your online journal."

She gulped. "Y-you're not suppose to look at that, Zoro! I've told you before that's private–"

He pounded his fist against the cabin, cornering Lacy with her back against the wall. She didn't realized it until he leaned closer. "What's going on?"

She was shaking. "W-what are you talking about–"

"Stop playing around, Lacy!! You KNOW what I mean!!"

"Zoro, I..."

His head fell. "I know that woman's purpose for wanting you. Your desire. I finally know it."

She lowered her head. "...and? What did you think?"

He looked back up at her. "Are you not happy with me? Do you feel lonely all the time?"

She gasped silently as she noticed Zoro's worried eyes. "N-No, Zoro! Nothing's wrong at all! I'm extremely happy with you!! You should know that!"

"Then why is your desire to be loved 'so strong'? That woman kept saying it was incredibly powerful and painful to you. Why is that, Lacy? Tell me!" She tried looking away from him, shutting her eyes tight. But Zoro grabbed her chin with his hand and turned her back to him. "Look at me, Lacy! What's going on?"

"Z-Zoro... it's not what you think..." Tears began to swell up in her eyes. "It's an old wound in my heart. I've felt so lonely for many many years; practically my entire life up until I met you. But it's still strong I guess... because I'm afraid of losing you. To be unloved once again." She looked into his eyes and began to shout. "I love you, Zoro! I'm just always secretly afraid to lose you is all! I never want to go back to that awful painful feeling of being alone again! I felt like I wanted to die back then! It was so painful..."

She covered her face, trying to hide the tears. Zoro grabbed Lacy and held her tight in his arms. "I won't ever leave you alone, Lacy. Nothing could tear us apart, not even death itself. I swear it. So don't worry about it, ok? Do you trust me?"

She nodded in his chest. "...yes."

"I can't hear you."

She looked up at him. "Yes, I trust you."

He smiled and kissed her softly. "Good. And you call yourself the 'One Piece Queen' when you don't know me by now? Have I ever broken my promises or turned against anyone?"

"No... You're very dependable."

"See? So stop worrying. Tears don't suit you at all, you know I think that."

She wiped her cheeks and smiled. "I know."

He snickered. "See? There's the smile I fell in love with."

Her lips curled shyly. He held her tight in his arms again. She hugged him and were about to kiss until Sanji yelled for her.

"LACY-CHWA~!! Doko desu ka~~? I've made a special meal just for you~!"

Zoro's eyebrow twitched. "That bastard always has the worst timing!!"

Lacy laughed. "Aww c'mon, Zoro. You know it helps build up the excitement~."

Zoro looked at her as she playfully pushed him away and walked towards the kitchen.

He blinked. "Huh? What does that mean?"

She looked back over her shoulder and winked. "You know, for tonight~! After all, you haven't pleasured me in weeks. You're overdue~!"

She continued walking away from him, leaving him cold with his mouth hanging open and blushing uncontrollably. _Was she just joking? Or... EH?!?_

He soon followed Lacy inside of the cabin, with most of the crew sitting down at the table. In front of Lacy were several plates of mouth-watering food that were all half gone.

"Holy crap! We can tell your appetite's back!" Chuckled Luffy.

"You're almost as bad as Luffy..." Nami sweat dropped.

"Definitely un-ladylike." Sighed Usopp.

"Leave her alone!" Sanji snapped at Usopp. "She can eat as much as she wants however she wants! Got it?!"

Zoro laughed. "She's back to normal completely."

Lacy smiled up at everyone with a full mouth and food waiting to be devoured in both hands.

Robin chuckled. "We missed her bubbly charms, didn't we guys?"

Zoro wrapped an arm around Lacy's shoulders. "Damn straight."


	40. Ch39: Returning Home Part 1: Reunion

**---**

**CHAPTER 39: Returning Home (Part 1: Reunion)**

**---**

"Lacy?"

The little blonde turned her head away from the ocean view to look at her little deer nakama. "Hm?"

"Why do you always stare at the ocean?"

She giggled. "That's easy. It's just so beautiful. Don't you think?"

Chopper sat on top of the rail next to Lacy, staring at the ocean with her. "Ee. It is. But don't you ever get tired of looking at it?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, because there's nothing going on. It's just water."

"That's what makes it beautiful. Just imagine what's going on below the water's surface."

"Below?"

"You know, the millions of different fish swimming together through coral reefs, kelp forests, and interacting with life."

"But you can't see what's going on."

She chuckled. "That's why you got to use your imagination~!"

Chopper sighed. "I'm not very good with using imagination; not like you."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is! I mean, you make tons of stories, it's awesome! Could you tell me a story?"

"EH?! Me? Tell a story?!"

"Yeah~!"

"U-um... I'm not very good at stories-" Lacy stopped as soon as she felt the boat shift dramatically from side to side. "Wha-what-what's going on?!" She grabbed a hold of the railing and looked up at Nami on the balcony. "Nami! What's happening?"

"We're entering violent waters! Don't worry, it'll pass soon. We're getting close to land, see?"

Lacy glanced in the direction Nami as pointing in. "Awesome~!"

As they drew closer towards the island, the ship finally stood still and glided smoothly across the sea.

"Prepare to dock!" Sanji shouted.

They finally ported and was ready to once again resupply. But the island seemed different to everyone; there were strange tall buildings, hundreds of styles of boats tied to the docks, people were wearing unusual clothing and riding in noisy metal contraptions with 4 wheels.

"Where in the world are we?" Usopp asked.

Nami scanned the map. "I'm... not sure. This should be Hanabira Island, but it shouldn't look like this."

"What are those things?" Robin asked, pointing at the strange vehicles.

"Great. Another strange place to me." Sighed Zoro.

"Those are...!"

Everyone turned to look at Lacy, who stood wide-eyed and shaking slightly.

"What Lacy? What's wrong?" Chopper asked.

"Those are... cars...!"

"Cars?" Luffy repeated. "What are cars?"

"T-They're... a style of transportation that can drive really fast and get to places quicker than by foot or bike or carriage."

"Wait a minute, aren't they the same as those things that were in front of your house?" Zoro asked.

She nodded. "Yes... but that could only mean..."

"We're back in your world." Robin finished her sentence.

"B-B-B-Back in Lacy-chan's world?!" Sanji shouted. "How did that happen?!"

"Calm down, Sanji-kun. I'm sure our world's just intersected again." Nami guessed.

"How?!" Panicked Usopp. "It's spooky and weird!"

"Oi... we were stuck in her world for a few months before, remember?" Zoro sweat dropped.

Luffy giggled. "Heeheehee~! We should go exploring~! What do you say, Lacy? Wanna explore your world?" She said nothing.

"Lacy-chan?"

She began walking in front of everyone, scanning the so-called "island". Without saying a word, everyone followed close behind. As they walked further and further into the town, the buildings seemed to strangely shift in appearance.

"What's going on here?" Asked Chopper.

"Aww... I wanna go exploring already..." Luffy pouted.

"Urusei, Luffy." Sanji sighed. "We don't want to get lost here; it's not our world, remember?"

"Nyaaaaaa...."

"Lacy." Zoro caught up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Doushita, Lacy?"

"Koko wa..."

"Hm?" Everyone was surprised to hear her speak again after a long while.

"Koko wa... San Diego...!"

Everyone's eyes bulged. "EH?! SA DIEGO?!"

"HOW THE HELL DID WE END UP BACK HERE SO FAST?!" Sanji yelled.

"Sounds interesting~!!" Luffy smiled.

"B-b-b-but weren't we just back at the ocean a while ago?"

"It disappeared." Robin commented, glancing back in the direction they came from.

"It's... like before." Lacy said nervously. "We... came back. After all this time, we came back. Like before, the ocean was only a couple miles away, when it really should be much farther... did we back track some how?"

"Lacy, what should we do?" Zoro asked.

"I-I'm not-"

Before she could finish her sentence, someone yelled out her name.

"LACY!! OH MY GOD, LACY!!"

She turned around and saw a woman standing a few yards away from them. She had short curly brownish-blonde hair and wore green heavy coat and blue jeans. Her make-up was dark, and the smell of her perfume was strong.

"O-oka...san?"

"Oka-san?!" Sanji muttered loudly. "Lacy-chan, this is your mom?!"

She didn't respond to him, but instead walked a couple feet towards the running woman. "Mom...?"

The woman held her suddenly in a tight hug and cried her eyes out. "Lacy!! Oh my God, where on Earth have you been this whole time?! We've been worried sick about you!!"

"Mom... I... I'm sorry." Tears began to flow gently down her cheeks, and she tried to hold them back unsuccessfully.

"I can't believe you're finally back, Lacy!! Thank God!!"

Everyone stood there silently, afraid of ruining the moment. But Zoro on the other hand, stood with narrow eyes at the 2 women. As if a gust a wind was blowing through him, all the memories of her mom were blowing back into his mind. None of them were happy.

"Psst! What should we do?" Nami whispered to Robin.

"We should probably walk away, quickly."

"Why?"

Usopp quickly grabbed Luffy's mouth. "Ssssssssh!! No one's suppose to know we exist, remember?"

"Sou ka?" Their captain managed to mumbled through Usopp's hands.

"Good idea." Sanji agreed softly. "We should hurry back to the ship and wait on what to do next." They silently walked casually away, but Zoro stayed behind.

"Zoro? What are you doing? Come on!" Nami shouted softly.

"Let him be, Miss Navigator." Robin suggested. "They know what he looks like. He's safe."

As soon as they disappeared from sight, Lacy's mom finally let go of her daughter. "Lacy, where have you been all this time?! Why did you run away?!"

She lowered her head nervously. "I-I was... out at sea."

"Out at sea?! What do you mean?! You joined the marines or something?!"

In Lacy's mind she found it a bit funny, considering the marines were the only law in One Piece against pirates. She lied. "S-something like that..."

"Then what, Lacy? I don't understand!"

"I've been... pursuing my art career. Remember?" She was trying to do her best to conceal the truth.

"All I remember is waking up the next morning to find your bed and part of your room empty and a note sticking on the front door saying you're leaving for dreams!"

"Exactly. It's what I've been doing–"

Her mom began to raise her voice. "That's not the way to do it, Lacy! You need to go to college and get an education! Not taking the easy way out, understand me?!"

"Mom, I–!"

Zoro finally butted in. "I've been watching out for her." He said in a stern protective voice.

"You?" It took her a moment, but she finally recognized the man. "Did you tell her to run away?! Was it you?!"

"Mom, stop it! It was my decision to go! Zoro had nothing to do with it!"

"Look at him, Lacy! I was right all along! With his green hair and weird stupid clothing, he's nothing more than a trouble-maker!"

"Stop it, mom! Why can't you just accept him or anything else for that matter?!"

Her mom quickly held Lacy again in her arms. "I'm sorry, Lacy! I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" She was about to respond, when her mom spoke quickly again. "Everyone has missed you! You should come back home and see your father and sisters! I'm sure even your friends would want to see you again."

Lacy sighed and glanced over at Zoro. He kept glaring at her mom with narrow eyes and she noticed the tension in his arms and face.

Agreeing, Lacy and Zoro hopped in her mom's car and drove back home. When they arrived, she noticed her dad was out front doing yard work and her youngest sister was playing with her skateboard.

"Lacy!!" Her father ran to his daughter as soon as she stepped out of the car. He lifted her into the arm and squeezed her tightly. All she could do was cry. She held her dad close as he kissed her cheek. After a few moments, he released her. "Where have you been, Lacy?! Don't you ever run away like that again, you hear?!"

She nodded, wiping away her tears. "Yes, dad."

Her sister soon joined them and have her a big hug. She noticed her other sister running out of the house to see her; she figured her mom told or she noticed them from her window. After several minutes of their reunion, Lacy was invited back into their house, until Zoro finally stepped out of the car.

"You!" Her dad walked over to him with his fist up high. "You got a lot of nerve showing your God damn face back here!"

"Dad, no! Leave him alone!"

Not listening, he swung his fist at the swordsman. Already knowing that he would block, Lacy saw Zoro easily dodge him.

"This isn't a time to fight, you know." Zoro commented.

"He's right! Stop it, dad! He's been looking after me the entire time! He's been taking care of me! See?" She held up her left hand and revealed a glittering silver ring with a lone tiny diamond in the center.

"What the?!" Her mom grabbed her hand quickly and examined the ring. "What's going on, Lacy?!"

"We're engaged."

Everyone turned their attention to Zoro.

"What?" Her mom asked, shocked.

Lacy stared a Zoro for a moment, wondering what his plan was. She was originally going to tell them it was a promise ring, signifying their love and devotion to each other, but she never expected Zoro to go as far as saying they were more than that. She wasn't even going to tell them until much later, but her anger got the best of her when she blurted it out. She played along with Zoro. "We're engaged. Like he said."

"Oh my God!! You're going to actually get married?!" Her little sister shouted.

Lacy grumbled. "Yeah, so?"

"When did this happen?!" Her dad asked forcefully.

"A-A few months ago. About 5 months ago." She quickly shouted the first thing that came into her mind.

"W-well... congratulations babe, but you're too young!" Her mom said.

"Awesome! So when's the wedding?" Her other sister said happily.

"U-um well..."

"Forget this for now." Her dad suggested. "Let all just sit down and talk about everything, ok?" He looked back at Zoro and sighed. "I suppose you can too, seeing how you're my daughter's fiancee now."

Zoro smirked and joined the others inside of the house, where they talked for the entire night. But Zoro and Lacy were careful with what they spoke about; making sure their adventures were kept out of the conversations, the truth about them being wanted pirates and sailing around the world to find the legendary treasure, Lacy eating the Devil's Fruit, their marriage, and anything else that might seem dangerous to them.

* * *

Zoro slept on the downstairs couch while Lacy slept in her old bedroom that night. When morning came, her dad was making his good ol' homemade breakfast for them while her mom was on the phone calling up her relatives with the news of her return. While everything seemed to be back in order, Lacy invited Zoro into her room where they could talk privately.

"So... are you alright?" She asked him, sitting on her old bed.

"Why the hell are you asking me that?! What about you?"

"I'm fine. Please don't shout, Zoro."

"I'll shout if I want to!"

"Zoro!"

He sighed out of frustration. "Chi! Takkun... I can't stand this."

"Gomenasai..."

"Why are you apologizing? It's not like you expected to come back."

She lowered her head. "No... I didn't. In fact, to tell you the truth, I didn't want to come back at all."

"Doushite?"

"Because... too many memories I want forgotten. With my family at least."

He sat on the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You can stay here if you want to. I know you miss your friends the most and–"

She gave him an angry glare. "You know I don't want that, Zoro. I may have missed them, but I chose this life myself. Besides, we had this conversation before when you first came here. I'm going back with you guys and that's final, understand?"

He sighed. "Look Lacy, it's ok if you want to stay even a little bit. We have to wait for the indicator to show us the next island anyways."

"And what if it takes just as long as before for it to pick up?! That took months, Zoro!"

"Now you are the one that's shouting." She gritted her teeth and looked down at her feet. "Oi Lacy, I won't let anything happen to you, yakusotou."

She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Your mom. I'm not letting her touch you or keep you here. You belong out at sea with me."

She smiled and wiped away a tear in her eye. "Sou ka?"

"Not now, Lacy." He kissed her brow as he helped wipe away another tear. "Not here. You always cry here."

"Zoro, I–"

"Lacy!!"

They turned to look at the locked door where the sound of her mom's voice was coming from.

"Someone wants to talk to you on the phone~!"

She sighed, and picked up her old phone next to the bed. "Yes...?"

Zoro saw a smile on her face as soon as the person on the other line spoke. He smiled as well, relieved that she was happy again. After an hour of talking, Lacy finally hung the phone up and glanced over her shoulder at Zoro. He had fallen asleep on her bed and was snoring. She giggled and lied on top of him, feeling the beating of his heart against her ear.

"This is fine." She spoke softly. "For now, I can at least enjoy some part of my stay here."

"Is that possible?"

"Ah! S-sorry! I didn't mean to wake you!"

Zoro wrapped his arms tenderly around her. "You know... this was where I first held you tightly in my arms."

"Really?" She blushed. She leaned over to kiss him when her mother called again.

"LACY!!"

She popped up instantly at the sound of her mother's yell. "Y-Y-YES?!"

"Come down here! Anne wants to play a song for you on her guitar!! She's been practicing AC/DC!!"

"C-COMING!!"

She quickly adjusted herself and was about to open the door when Zoro grunted.

"Dammit! Someone's always ruining the moment!"

She blushed, looking back at him with a shy smile. "G-Gomen, Zoro."

* * *

After much negotiation, Lacy convinced her parents to allow her to go out with Zoro and see some of her friends. They walked a couple blocks up the street, heading towards their first house.

"Who are we going to see first?" Zoro asked.

She smiled wide. "Kiara~!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Kiara?

"Remember? She was the red-head at my performance."

"Ah. Her."

"She's one of my best friends and the closest to my house, so we'll see her first."

They arrived in front of a small white house with a green little garden trailing up to the front door. Lacy rang the doorbell hesitantly, waiting for someone to notice them beforehand. She let out a deep breath. "Oh God..."

"Nervous?"

She nodded. "Y-yeah... I'm starting to feel sick. Maybe no one's home–"

Just then, the door opened and revealed a beautiful woman with short redish-blonde hair holding a puppy.

"LACY?!"

"KIARA-SAN~!!"

She set down the puppy and soon the two girls embraced each other with tight hugs and kisses on cheeks. They would swing each other around and laugh and cry as they greeted each other.

"Where the hell have you been, girl?!"

"Heh heh around~!"

"Come in come in, silly! We have to catch up, hard core!!"

"Oh, wait! You remember Zoro, don't you Kiara-san?"

"Of course! How can I forget? The green-haired swordsman. Come in!"

"Oh my God, Kiara-san!! Is that your puppy?" She pointed to the little black dachshund wagging its tail at her feet.

She laughed. "Yes!! I got her about a month ago, isn't she precious~? Her name's Buffy!!"

Lacy laughed. "Figures you'd call her that. She's adorable~!"

As soon as they entered the kitchen, Lacy ran towards a large woman with long hair and glasses. "MOMMA~!!"

"LACY LOO!!" The woman gave her a giant hug, laughing as the blonde squeezed her back. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Long story short, I've been out at sea. But I'm back visiting for now, momma! I've missed you so much!"

"I miss your childish charm, chika!" She released her, noticing Zoro in the back. She gave Lacy a sly smile. "Oooh~ And who is this, Lacy?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. This is Zoro. Zoro, this is Kiara's mom."

Zoro smiled at the woman. "Nice to meet you."

"And nice to meet you, Zoro." She looked at Lacy, with the smile still on her face. "Who's he, Lacy?" She whispered.

"This is Lacy's boyfriend, mom!" Kiara replied, giving her a wink.

"Boyfriend?!" Her mom laughed. "Our little Lacy Loo has a man. It's about damn time, girl!"

Lacy laughed. "Gee thanks, momma."

"Momma?" Zoro asked.

"We call her momma because she's like the 'mother hen' for those who are close to her or have a bad home life, like me."

"We take Lacy in all the time and give her what she needs when her mom acts like a tyrant." Momma rubbed Lacy's back.

"Thank you, momma."

They walked towards Kiara's room where she noticed it was still the same messy room with weapons and anime everywhere. As she entered the room, she was picked up from behind without any warning.

"LACY!!!"

She laughed. "Bane! I missed you sooooooooo mucho~!!"

"Why'd you leave?"

"Geh... d-do you wanna let go of me so I can breath first?"

He laughed and set her down and released her. "You deserve it! You left us."

"I know... I'm sorry... But I'm really really glad that you two are still together~! It's been like, what, almost 2 years?"

"2 years?" Mandy asked. "More like a year."

"Really?! You guys went out around the time L.K.H. was at Comic Con one summer, right?"

"Yeah?" Bane responded.

"Then it's been 2 years."

"Wow.. Being gone for 6 months have really boggled your memory." Mandy giggled.

"6... months? I've been gone... 6 months?"

"Yeah, how long did you think you've been gone for?"

"I-I don't' know... more than that." She looked at Zoro with wide confused eyes. They say we've been gone 6 months, but... it's been almost an entire year. _What's going on here...?_

"Hm? Who's this?" Bane asked, finally noticing Zoro's presence.

"This is Zoro~"

He held out his hand to the swordsman. "Nice to meet you. I'm Bane, Kiara's boyfriend."

Zoro shook his hand. "Yo."

"She's going out with him." Kiara told him.

"Going out?!" Bane smiled. "Really now? It's about time you found yourself a man, Lacy~!"

Lacy sighed. "Why does everyone have to say that...? I'm not that pathetic... Oh yeah~! I have some news to tell you guys, actually... Zoro and I are engaged~!"

Their jaws dropped to the floor. "WHAT?!"

Kiara grabbed a hold of Lacy's shoulders and squeezed them tight with bulging eyes. "YOU GUYS ARE ENGAGED?! SINCE WHEN?!"

She laughed. "About 3 months ago, ne Zoro?" She lied.

He sighed. "Un."

"Well congratulations hun~!" Kiara hugged her friend again. "I'd normally say that's way too soon to agree to get married, but then agian you've loved this guy for years! Well, come on! Let's order some pizza and soda and catch up!"

They all sat comfortably on the couch and chatted about everything. Lacy felt more comfortable telling Kiara some of the adventures she's been on with Zoro. Kiara and Bane would tease her whenever she referred to things of "this world" and thought she was still her same old ditsy blonde self. Even while they ate pizza, Lacy kept saying how long it's been since her last slice and making her friend's tease her.

"Oh yeah, I've been practicing how to fight with a sword, Kiara-san~!"

"Really?! Awesome, babe! Are you any better now?"

"You bet. In fact, do you want to bokken fight?"

"Right now?"

"Sure."

"Ok~!"

Everyone went outside as Kiara grabbed her 2 bokken swords. Zoro smiled with his arms crossed and Bane sat in a chair next to him. They both had glasses of alcohol on the table in front of them for the entertainment.

"This ought to be interesting." Zoro chuckled.

"You mean the girls? I know. It's been forever since I've seen them bokken fight."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You mean you didn't know? They use to bokken fight back in high school. Them and a few other boys back in drama class. But Lacy always seemed to be the weakest of them all. I mean don't get me wrong, she's the strongest among the girls, but her skill and technique was lacking."

Zoro smiled and turned his attention back at the girls. "I'm sure she's not weak anymore."

"Huh?"

Zoro ignored him, focusing his attention to the fighters. The girls bowed and smiled to each other as they drew their bokkens.

"Our usual, Lacy-chan? No holding back?"

"Always~."

The fight began. Kiara attacked first, turning Lacy onto the defensive side. "Your blocks are better."

Lacy smiled. "Why thank you~. Like I said, I've been practicing."

With that said, Lacy went onto the offense and struck at Kiara. They fought for a good 20 minutes before Lacy finally hit Kiara's sword out of her hand and grabbed it from the air and turned to her as if getting ready to use nitouryu 2-sword style. They both stopped to catch their breathes and were sweating.

"Damn, Lacy. You're better than me now!"

"Heh heh. Sorry, but it's what I've got to do to survive as a pirate. You're hand's ok, right?"

Kiara rubbed her red wrists. "You know I can take a hit. Sorry about the ear by the way."

She smiled. "It's ok. It only bled for a moment."

"Doushita, Lacy? Getting tired?"

Lacy glanced over at Zoro and saw him smirking. She stuck out her tongue. "You wish~!"

"Liar." Kiara huffed. "Don't tell me you still want to fight?" Lacy nodded. "Ah! Where's all your energy coming from? I'm taking a break first."

"Awww..." Lacy pouted. "What about you, Bane? Wanna fight?"

He shook his head. "No way. I don't like bokken fighting, it's lame. Besides, I'd just hurt you."

Lacy's brow knotted. "No you wouldn't! Bring it!"

"I'll fight you." Zoro took a step forward and grabbed his swords he had set down on the backyard's table.

"You don't count, Zoro. You're my trainer. This is for fun." Lacy commented.

"Then let's make this a 'fun' training."

She sighed and held up her bokken in ready position.

"No. Let's fight with these." He tossed her one of his swords and held up the other two.

"I said this was a 'fun' fight, you're being too serious."

"No I'm not. Koi!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Kiara shouted. "You guys aren't seriously going to fight with real swords, are you?"

"Why not?" Lacy asked. "It's what I train with on the ship."

"Zoro, don't. You're going to hurt her." Bane said in a serious tone.

"Don't worry guys, it's ok." She sighed again and smiled, running after him. "Here I come!"

The audience gasped as soon as the swords hit each other. They fought gracefully; with quick swift strokes and incredible strength.

Kiara's jaw dropped open in awe and her eyes widened. "You were really holding back... This is... amazing. Damn, Lacy! Go go!!"

Distracted, Lacy didn't jump high enough from Zoro's swing and fell backwards. Zoro took advantage of her opening and sliced her waist. As soon as Lacy landed on her back, Kiara screamed and ran over to her friend's side.

Zoro sneered. "You were caught off guard."

"LACY!!! OH MY GOD!!!"

Bane ran over and punched Zoro. "BASTARD!! HOW COULD YOU ACTUALLY CUT YOUR FIANCEE?! YOUR FIANCEE, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!"

"Why's everyone yelling? Oi Lacy, get up."

As soon as Kiara reached Lacy, she was already getting onto her feet. Bane looked back with wide eyes.

"Let me see your cut, Lacy! Don't act tough!" Shouted Kiara.

"I'm not. It's nothing."

Bane ran over to her and pick her up bridal style. "Shut up, Lacy! Let me see your–" As soon as he turned her over, there was nothing but a ripped shirt and no blood, not even a cut on the skin. "What the hell..?!"

"Put me down, Bane! I'm fine!"

"Where the hell's your cut?!"

"You're not even bleeding!" Kiara pointed out.

Lacy shifted her eyes nervously as Bane set her back down. "U-Um... I guess I have no choice but to tell you guys, huh?"

"Maa takkun... how troublesome." Zoro sighed.

"What the hell's going on?" Kiara asked.

"Well, remember how I told you Luffy - the captain of our One Piece crew - ate the Gum Gum fruit and turned his body into rubber?"

"Yeah?"

"Well... I also ate a Devil's Fruit; to be more specific, the Mizu Mizu Fruit."

"What?" Bane asked, confused and obviously not knowing a thing about One Piece.

"Doesn't that mean water?" Kiara asked, remembering some of her Japanese.

She nodded. "Yeah. See?" She held out her arm and let it liquefy and fall a towards the ground, then had it come back up and solidified into her arm again. "I can turn my body into water and even manipulate water itself." She demonstrated again by holding up her hand and creating a floating water orb.

"HOLY CRAP LACY!!! How did this happen?!"

"I told you, I ate the Devil's Fruit. Elemental fruits are harder to defeat. So now if I get cut, it doesn't hurt me since I've mastered how to turned my body into water just before getting hit. Zoro? Care to demonstrate?" He smiled and gladly sliced her extended arm. In front of everyone's eyes, her arm appeared cut, but liquefied itself back together into solid skin. "See?"

Kiara started to cry a little bit. "Why didn't you tell us earlier? And why didn't you do this when I hit you? I made even made your ear bleed!"

"I'm sorry... I forgot since this is natural to me now... I'm so sorry, Kiara-san. I wanted to fight normally with you, that's why I didn't defend myself with this power."

Bane looked over at Zoro, who was placing his swords back into their sheaths. We walked over to him and held out his hand. "Look, I'm sorry. It was a reflex. But you still shouldn't of hit her."

Zoro accepted his hand and shook it. "Forget it. It was to be expected. Besides, I wouldn't even _think _to cut her is she was normal."

Lacy wiped away a few tears. "I'm so sorry to worry you guys..."

"Why are you crying, Lacy?" Bane asked, giving her a gentle hug.

"B-Because I thought you guys might hate me now... because I didn't tell you..."

Kiara gave her a playful bop on the head. "Baka! I wouldn't hate you for that. You just made me shit my pants is all. You owe me a new pair!"

Lacy smiled at last. "Ok. Deal."

They went back inside and continued with their conversations over loss time. When they began to feel exhausted, they put in the girl's favorite movie called_ Serenity_ and watched that for the remainder of the night. Kiara cuddled with Bane while Lacy did the same with Zoro.

_This is nice,_ Lacy thought. _I never thought I'd be doing this with friends. Eating with friends, chatting, watching movies... it's almost like a double date. If I was still living here, this would be... really nice..._

As soon as the movie was over, Bane and Kiara were the only ones still awake. Bane took the remote and turned off the TV and turned on some instrumental music. They both turned to look at their sleeping friends.

"You know, they're actually perfect for each other." Kiara whispered.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Lacy's liked this guy forever and he seems like the right person for her after all this time."

"I don't know... he seems weird to me."

"It's hard to explain, babe. I'll tell you later about this guy and the anime he's from."

"She seems happy."

Kiara looked at Lacy's face and found her smiling. "You're right. Zoro must be doing a good job with her. And engaged! Who would've thought?"

"And she always used to say that she'd be the last one married." He chuckled.

"Weren't we the one's that told her she'd be the first one married?"

"Heh, yeah. Well, I'm happy for her."

"Me too. I'm just so glad she's back..."


	41. Ch40: Returning Home Part 2: Chosen

**---**

**CHAPTER 40: Returning Home (Part 2: Chosen)**

**---**

"A picnic?"

Lacy laid on her stomach on the bed while watching Zoro get ready the next morning. "Yeah~! Kiara and I were talking about the 4 of us going to the park and having a picnic."

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Because we can, that's why. Oh! And we were thinking of maybe going to the zoo and seeing all the animals then maybe we can go to the beach and have a bonfire~! It's just like a double date~!" Zoro turned around and gave Lacy a sly stare. "What's that look for?"

He chuckled. "Nothing."

She pouted. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"No I'm not. You're just hyper is all."

"Aren't I always?"

"More than usual, I mean. You're excited with the idea."

"Well of course! I'm spending time with the people I love! This has been the best week ever~!"

"Lacy-chan? Zoro? Are you guys almost ready?" Kiara called from the other side of the door. "We want to discuss where we're going for the picnic and all."

"I'll be right out."

Lacy got up and joined the others on the couch. Zoro followed soon after, wearing a navy blue tight shirt with a red star on the front. He also wore one of his grey dress shirts over his t-shirt, leaving it unbuttoned and flip flops. It was the first time in a long time he was wearing jeans.

Lacy drooled. "You look so hot in that, Zoro~." He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. She giggled and whispered to Kiara. "He's so cute when he's being shy."

"So it's settled." Bane spoke. "Zoro, we're all going to a place called Balboa park. It's got a lot of fountains to sit nearby with gardens and museums around as too. I'll drive."

"Drive?" Zoro asked, confused.

"By car he means. We even packed already~!" Lacy smiled.

"What did you pack?"

She winked at him. "It's a surprise~"

"Same with you, wolfy~!" Kiara winked at her man as well.

"Great... With your cooking..." He mumbled next to Zoro.

She glared at him. "What does THAT mean?!"

Zoro looked confused. "Wait... wolfy?"

Lacy giggled. "It's her pet name for Bane. It's a long story, but it's a werewolf joke."

* * *

They all hopped into Bane's car and drove to Balboa park. Like Bane said, there were beautiful fountains and flowers everywhere to enjoy. They sat next to one fountain and enjoyed sandwiches, fruit, oni giris, sushi, chips, and strawberry shortcakes.

During their lunch, Bane pulled out some beer. "Do you drink, Zoro?"

Lacy laughed. "Of course he drinks." She replied for him. "He's a pirate after all. He better be a grog drinker."

Bane petted Lacy on the head while handing a bottle to Zoro. "Talking pirate again, are we little Miss Innocent?"

"Little Miss Innocent?" The nicknames and inside jokes were really racking Zoro's brain now.

She slumped. "It's... what they called be back in high school. Drinking, sex, passion, mature jokes... I either didn't get them or too embarrassed and shy to want to talk about it. So they called me 'innocent' as a joke."

"It's your fault you have that nickname." Kiara smiled. "Don't worry, I brought soda for you."

"Thank you. But I'll have some rum and coke of you don't mind."

"You? Having alcohol?!" She snorted. "Are you sure you can drink it?"

Bane gladly handed her a bottle of rum. "THIS I gotta see!"

Lacy proudly popped off the cap and chugged the bottle in a minute or two. "Well?"

Once again, Kiara and Bane's jaws dropped. "GO LACY~!" Bane gave her a high five.

Kiara gave her a big hug a sniffed, pretending she was crying. "My little Lacy-chan's growing up~!"

"I told you guys! If you're going to be a pirate, you might as well learn how to party like one, ne Zoro?"

He wrapped an arm around her and handed her another bottle. "Damn straight."

Kiara sighed. "Man, Lacy. You've changed a lot since you left."

"You think so? I just learned how to fight and drink is all."

"Even your body has changed." Bane poked her stomach. "You're a beef cake now, muscles."

She giggled at his touch. "I told you, I fight and train."

"Well, you may fight and drink now, but you'll always be our little innocent, Lacy~." Kiara winked at her.

Bane laughed. "Yeah! Check this out, Lacy!" He got on top of Kiara and slid a hand up her tank top. "You don't mind, do you Lacy?"

She blushed and lowered her head. "Actually, yes. You're gonna get caught in public."

Zoro blushed as well and sighed. "How shameful..."

He got off of Kiara and chuckled. "See? Innocent! How about this?" He pretended to unzip his pants.

Lacy twitched a bit and slapped her hand over her face. "Not again, Bane! Can we not do this in public?"

Zoro spat beer out of his mouth with wide eyes and coughed. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Bane laughed. "She knows I won't really. This is what we did all the time whenever we talked about sex. You know? Things she wouldn't understand that makes it entertaining."

"But now it's just embarrassing." Lacy commented.

"What do you mean?" Kiara asked. "Don't tell me these jokes are old? That's impossible with you."

"No it's not. It's still embarrassing with everyone else still, yes, but we've already had sex."

This time everyone besides Lacy spat out beer with wide eyes.

"LACY!!" Zoro shouted with a red embarrassed face.

"NO YOU DIDN'T!!" Kiara shouted. "YOU HAD SEX?!"

"Hahaha I'll believe it when I see proof!" Bane smiled.

"Wait wait wait!!" Kiara took a deep breath. "You really did it? You guys really had sex?!" She nodded, embarrassed. "Ok Zoro. I need to know for sure. You guys really went all the way?"

He blushed angrily at her. "Why should I tell you?!"

"This is embarrassing as it is to tell you, but yes, ok? I'm not a virgin anymore. I'm dead friggin serious."

Kiara glomped her friend and rubbed her cheek playfully against hers. "You're finally a woman, Lacy~!!"

"Ok ok enough. This is embarrassing as it is already. You can get off me now, Kiara-san."

As Bane took pleasure in teasing Zoro, Lacy leaned towards her friend's ear and whispered. "Kiara... there was even a time where I got pregnant."

"WHAAAAT?!"

"SSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!" Lacy covered her friend's mouth and glanced over at the boys, who stared back at them. "Eh heh heh heh... pay no attention to us. She's just got a big mouth~." She put some emphasis on the "big mouth" part.

Kiara lowered her voice. "Seriously?" Lacy nodded. "What happened?"

"I had a miscarriage."

"Oh, Lacy... I'm so sorry." Her eyes grew sad.

"It's ok, really. We were in the middle of a battle against another guy who ate the Devil's Fruit and hit me in the stomach, causing the miscarriage."

"Oh my God Lacy, that's horrible! Are you guys going to try again?"

"Not now. We want to enjoy ourselves a little while longer, you know?"

Kiara nodded, then a sly smirk curled across her face. "So~, how many times have you guys done it?"

Lacy blushed and snuck another glance and the boys, who were now fighting. She figured the teasing got a bit out of hand. "On an average, about 2-3 times a week."

"WHAT?!"

Lacy covered her mouth again. "SSSSSSHHHHHH!! You know what? Let's wait until we're alone for this, ok?!"

Kiara laughed and slapped her on the back a couple times. "Got it~!"

Clueless, the boys continued arguing until the girls broke them up. They eventually packed up and went to the zoo for a few hours then went to the beach for their bonfire. Kiara tried convincing Lacy to come in the water all the way, but she kept explaining to her friend the conditions of a Devil's Fruit possessor and the ocean. They all watched the sunset as their bonfire blazed behind them. Kiara was wrapped in a blanket with Bane while Lacy did the same with Zoro.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lacy commented.

"Yeah. You don't usually see the orange and purple colors in a sunset mix that often. I'm glad it did tonight." Kiara smiled.

"I hope you guys don't mind, but we're going to stay at my friend's house by the beach for tonight. He's off on a weekend road trip so he lent us the place for the weekend. You guys in? "Bane asked.

Lacy gasped. "Huh? We're not going home?"

"C'mon Lacy-chan~! Let's hang out and go in their spa and relax! It'll be fun! Like it's our own place or something." Kiara smiled.

After some time, Lacy and Zoro agreed and they packed up and headed to the house by the beach. It was a decent size for a one story house, two bedroom, one bath and definitely a bachelor's pad. Their rooms where across the hall from each other and had a beautiful oceanic view. Of course, Kiara and Bane slept in one room while Zoro and Lacy claimed the other. They hunng out in the living room where they spent time together and cuddled in blankets again on the couch with some soda and beer.

"So what now?" Bane asked.

"What?" Lacy asked, confused.

"Are your parents ok with you staying another night with us?"

"Yeah. But sadly this will be the last one for a while."

"Seems reasonable considering you just got back a little over a week ago. I'm surprised your Nazi mom even let you hang out with us a lot."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Nazi mom?"

Kiara giggled. "It's what we call her mom since it's one of the best ways of describing the evilness. That and what was it, Lacy? She's the Devil's child? Oh no! It was Hitler! Haha!!"

"Haha! Yeah!"

"But what's a Nazi?"

Bane have him a twisted look as if he was stupid. "You mean to tell me you don't know what a Nazi is?"

"Remember he's not from this world, Bane." Lacy looked up at her swordsman. "A Nazi is a terrifying title one country called their soldiers since they would perform inhuman punishments against their victims, including women and children. They would burn them in 'ovens', trap them in small buildings with no windows or doors and spray poisonous gas and have them suffocate and so on. But this happened in another country years ago. It was during one of the most important wars of our history known as World War II. One of the worst wars the world has ever experienced. This was only just about 60 years ago."

"Sou ka. So you're mom's a Nazi?"

She laughed. "Not a real Nazi, but can be as horrible as one. It's a joke. It's a metaphor for her temper and unfairness."

"Speaking of which, are you ok with being back home?" Kiara asked. "Dealing with your mom and all?"

"Sort of. I'm not staying home anyways."

"You mean you're going back out to sea?!" She nodded. "That's so stupid, Lacy!" She turned her attention to Bane. "You need to stay here and not go off and play pirate!"

"I'm NOT playing pirate! I'm a real pirate with a real wanted price on my head looking for real treasure fighting against other real pirates with some possessing powers!!"

"It's a stupid anime fantasy!" Bane exclaimed.

"No it's not!!"

Zoro held Lacy closer to him to try and calm her down. "Leave her alone. If she wants to go, then let her go."

"Then what about your time here with us?! Just so you can go off again?!"

"Oi–!"

Lacy held Zoro back, with tears already swelling in her eyes. "I missed you guys... so much it hurt... But I didn't run away or even want to leave you guys behind. I mean, I have my own website with my mangas on there for you and everyone to see. I update as much as possible! That's why I made it, for you to see what I've drawn for you and how I'm doing, Kiara. I'm learning about life and hardships, and spending time with the one I love most. Does that not matter?"

Kiara sighed. "Lacy-chan, we're not saying that, it's just–"

"I thought you would understand..." She got out of the blanket and walked off in the direction of the bathroom.

"Lacy!" Kiara called after her.

Before she turned the corner, she glanced back at her friends. "I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be a moment." She then disappeared from sight.

As soon as they heard the door shut, Bane went off on Zoro. "Why don't you tell her to stay?! This is the right thing to do, you know! This is where she belongs! Not some crazy ass world were everyone is a pirate like the middle ages!"

Zoro grunted and lied back on the couch with his eyes closed. "She can do what she wants. It's her life, she can do whatever she feels like."

* * *

Lacy grabbed a couple tissues and tried to calm down. "What do they know...? They're only making it harder!"

She paused for a moment and heard some shouting from the other side of the door. She recognized Bane and Zoro's voices and grew curious. She liquefied herself and slide under the door and made her way towards the shouting. She slid behind the couch and listened closely. She noticed Bane was in Zoro's face.

"You're just some selfish asshole if you think taking her will make her life better!"

"Then why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Oh you can count on that!"

"Bane! Stop yelling!" Kiara shouted, trying to break them up. "I'm sure Lacy has an explanation to want to–"

Bane ignored her. "I'll bet you're forcing her to go with you!"

"Force?!" This twitched a nerve and he stood up. "It takes a real bastard to use force against a woman! Lacy and I have been through this conversation numerous times and in the end she refuses to leave me, let alone stay behind in her world. Hell, I even _tried_ to make her stay here, but she still refuses!"

"Bullshit!!"

Now it was Zoro's turn to get in Bane's face. "I don't know what the hell your problem is, but I love Lacy with all of my heart and I refuse to leave her side! I stand behind her decision. I even asked her if she wanted to stay here before she came to see you guys! Don't you get it? She wanted to see you all! So badly it hurt her! I remember how she used to cry whenever the subject of her home and friends came up and all she could talk about were the good old days and her best friends Julie and Kiara!"

Kiara lowered her voice. "Zoro..."

"There have been countless times where people tried to break us apart, but she stood strong no matter how painful it was! Even when I talk about her leaving you all, she still refuses! Though it breaks her heart - no! It breaks her heart even now when you guys talk about staying! So next time you act tough and think of what's 'best' for her, ask her first and how she really feels about it!"

Everyone was silent for a moment. Bane kept standing with his head down while Zoro sat back on the couch. Lacy on the other hand, quickly slide back under the bathroom door and formed back into her solid self. She wanted to make it seem like she would only be in there for a little while, but she couldn't help but cry again over what Zoro had said to them.

Bane sighed. "I'm going to give you one warning: you better protect Lacy with your life, otherwise I'm going to wring your neck! Got it?!"

Zoro opened an eye for him. "What's with you people and your threats?"

"Do you hear me?! If you so much as make her cry I swear I'll make your life a living hell!"

He sighed. "If I make her cry, I'd kill myself first before anyone else gets the chance to."

Kiara's eyes widened in awe. "Zoro... that's so sweet..."

Finally, after a few more minutes, Lacy reentered the room.

"S-Sorry guys for running off like that. I got carried away, huh? Anyways, I heard some shouting. Is everything alright?"

Bane and Kiara looked up at their and found a smile spreading across her face.

Kiara knew her friend well; knowing she was giving them a forced smile. "They were just–"

Lacy interrupted. "Haha! Don't tell me they were teasing each other again? Or even fighting over something someone doesn't know about in this world?" She winked at Zoro who had one eye open at her.

Kiara forced smiled back. "I'm sorry, Lacy."

Lacy was confused. "Huh? Sorry for what?"

"I'm just... sorry, ok? Bane and I just really miss you and it's been dull around here without your bubbliness."

She rubbed the beck of her neck. "I-It's ok. I'm sorry I left you guys so suddenly without so much as a word. B-But I have the internet on board the ship, but you must have changed your email address because I tried emailing you numerous times."

"Yes, I actually have been changing it a lot lately. I'll give you my new information."

"That'd be great."

Before she sat back down to cuddle with Zoro, Bane stood back up and gave her an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry too Lacy, for making you feel guilty and all... But there's just one thing I really want to know: why do you want to leave us again? Why not stay?"

She lowered her head. "You guys have no idea how much I've missed you. You and everyone else. But as if by a spell, I'm drawn to Zoro. Everyone might think it's only because I liked him for so long and now he's real and all I want to do is be with him. Well, only part of that's true. He's loved me like I would have never dreamed. He protects me, cares for me, loves me, and makes me feel good about myself and accepting me for who I am. And having adventures with him and the rest of the gang has spiced up my boring life, you know? I now enjoy living and live my days to their fullest. And seeing you guys again... well, it's made me realize how much I miss the old days, you know?"

Kiara got up and gave her friend a tight hug. "I really want you to stay. But I'll trust your stupid decision for now and we can at least keep in touch through the internet." She released Lacy and smiled. "Just keep me updated with everything and buy a webcam! That way we can see each other instead of non stop instant messaging and emails, got it?"

She smiled back. "You got it. You can also check out my art sites and see pictures I've drawn and will draw for you."

They hugged once more, along with Bane giving her a hug, and they said their good-nights as they went to their own rooms.

* * *

Lacy went over and plopped on the bed with a loud sigh while Zoro stood over her. "Man... what a night."

"You heard everything we said, didn't you?"

Lacy quickly glanced up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. I saw you slither behind the couch. Curious, were we?"

She turned her head away and blushed in embarrassment. "You guys were yelling and I was... just wondering what was all the fuss. I didn't expect you to stick up for me like that, Zoro. I'm... very thankful."

He sighed and hovered over her with his hands on the bed, staring into her eyes. "What do you want to do, Lacy?"

She smiled and grabbed his cheeks. "I want to stay with you, of course. I belong with you."

With that, Zoro smiled and got up off of the bed and walked over by the connected room's door. He closed it all the way and came back to Lacy, taking off his shirt all the while. "You know, that Bane guy really pisses me off."

"You're just saying that because he cares."

"No, he's really annoying! Too realistic for me."

"Well, he's just trying to show what it takes to be in the real world. If you never existed and I ran off with some random guy from my world, everything he said would've made sense."

"Is that so?" Zoro got on top of Lacy and held her in his arms. "Too bad for him you're with me, and according to you, it stays that way." He glanced over by the door and smirked. "Too bad, yarou."

Lacy laughed and gave Zoro a sweet kiss. He wrapped her arms around him and they held each other for a few minutes before Zoro spoke again.

"Lacy?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too. Forever and ever."

"You know, your friends are going to miss you terribly."

"I know."

"They really care about you."

"I know."

"You may never return again."

"...I know."

He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Lacy's smile. "Do you even know the point I'm getting at here?"

"Yes. And I know what you're trying to do and I already told you my answer."

"But what if you never return–"

She kissed him, breaking his sentence. "My world is with you. No matter what. I already made the sacrifice once and I'll do it again for you."

He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a warm secure hug. "Why are you so reckless?"

She giggled. "It's just my nature~."

They lied back down on the bed together and held each other in their arms. The moon shone through their bedroom window as they fell tenderly asleep.


	42. Ch41: Returning Home Part 3: Left to Do

**---**

**CHAPTER 41: Returning Home (Part 3: What's Left To Do) **

**---**

2 more weeks flew by, and Lacy spent most of her time catching up with friends and family. She hung with her best friends from her 5 girl bff click (including herself): Kiara, Julie, Ana, and Cleo; but returning home seemed like such a short time to Lacy. Though it only had been a month, time went by quickly and another day was gone. Until she finally went to visit the Straw-Hat gang again.

"What?! Already?!"

Nami nodded. "Yeah. The log pose has already picked up the next island."

Lacy hung her head. "B-But... so fast...?! I mean, it took months last time we were here. It can still pick up islands even though we're in another world?"

"Seems that way." Robin commented.

"But how? Do you think we might be going in circles?"

"Not likely. It took a shorter time for the indicator to pick up the next island and it only points forward, not back."

"So when are we leaving?" Zoro asked.

Nami turned around and looked at Luffy. "Senchou?"

"Hmm..." Luffy folded his arms and nodded his head with closed eyes, thinking. "Let's leave soon!"

The navigator sighed from his vague response. "How about we give it another couple days then we'll head out."

Lacy dropped her head again. "Sou ka..."

"Are you going to stay this time, Lacy-chan?" Sanji asked.

"No way!! I'm staying here and that's that!!"

"But what about your friends? And your family?" Chopper asked.

She clenched her fists on her sides. "I told you guys already... there's no need to stay when there's nothing here waiting for me."

"But your mom looked so–"

"IT'S NOT WHAT IT SEEMS!!" She gasped, not realizing she had gotten upset suddenly. "Gomen... It's just–"

"It's a touchy subject, we know." Usopp murmured.

She nodded. "Look, I'm sorry for getting upset, but as much as I would like to stay for my friends, there really is no other purpose for me staying here. I already missed a year of school, I'm content with my comics, and my life is a lot more adventurous out at sea. Besides, I'm a wanted pirate now and even if that doesn't exist in this world, I still have my water power. If that gets out, the government might capture me and experiment on me like some sort of alien."

"They would really do that here?!" Usopp shouted.

"Yeah. My world is deformed like that."

"I wouldn't let you stay anyways!" Luffy said sternly. "You're my nakama! You're staying with us!"

She laughed. "Don't worry, Luffy. I'm not going anywhere no matter what."

He smiled. "Good~!"

"A-Ah! Lacy-chan!" She turned around in the direction Sanji was pointing.

Zoro blinked. "Omae ga...!"

"K-Kiara?! Ana?! W-W-What are you guys doing here?!"

"We followed you, duh!" Kiara answered.

Ana raised an eyebrow and laughed. "So this is your pirate ship? It looks more like a children's toy boat."

"Don't make fun of the Going Merry!!" Usopp snapped at her.

"The Going Merry's a great ship, Ana~." Lacy explained. "Please don't insult it. It is pretty deceiving." She chuckled.

Kiara smiled awkwardly. "So which one's Luffy?"

Luffy's ears perked as soon as he heard his name. "Areee?"

"That's him." Lacy pointed at her captain. "I think she wants you to prove you're rubber, Luffy."

"Huh? Like this?" He pinched his cheeks and stretched them apart, making a weird face.

"Baka..." Zoro sweat dropped.

"Ah~ Aren't you two just beauties~!" Sanji swooned. "Kiara-chan and Ana-chan, was it~?"

"What the...?" ana smiled, but she was clearly confused.

"Don't mind him, guys. Sanji hits on all the girls."

Kiara giggled. "Eh heh... yeah."

"Mouuuuu~ Lacy-chan, you're so mean~."

Kiara and Ana climbed aboard the Going Merry, getting a better look.

"So... you're all pirates?" Ana asked, raising an eyebrow. "You don't look like it."

Lacy giggled. "We're not your normal 'Pirates of the Caribbean' kind of pirates~. Oh yeah! Sorry. Let me introduce you to everyone. You already know Captain Luffy, Sanji's the cook - the one who was hitting on you, Usopp's our sniper, Nami's the genius navigator, Robin's our archaeologist, you already know Zoro, and this is Chopper, our doctor."

"A moose?" Kiara asked.

Chopper got offended. "I'm not a moose!! I'm a reindeer!!"

Both Kiara and Ana jumped back. "GAAH!! I-It can talk!!"

"Hahaha!! Of course he can talk~! He ate the Human Human Fruit." Lacy laughed. "And Robin ate the Flora Flora Fruit. All four of us are the only ones with powers on board."

"Chotto matte, Lacy!" Nami yelled. "I thought we were suppose to keep a low profile?"

"It's too late now." Zoro said.

"They already knew about you guys." Lacy replied.

"How?" Robin asked.

"They knew about you guys before we even met. My obsession. Remember? Besides, these are the only two I can truly trust." She turned to look at her friends. "You guys will keep us a secret... won't you?"

Kiara rubbed her friend's shoulders. "Of course we will, babe! But why the secrecy?"

"Do you honestly think some fictional anime characters could go prancing around town unnoticed? Everyone would flip! Riots - the good and the bad - would break out!"

"True... Still no Kenshin?"

"Sorry hun. They're the only ones."

"But how did they get here?" Ana asked, always intrigued by psychological and paranormal happenings.

"We don't know." Robin stepped forward.

"That's right. Robin's usually an expert with these sort of things, but not even she knows how this is happening." Lacy said. "We've tried figuring it out, but all we have are theories, no conclusions."

"We never know when this happens." Robin explained. "In fact, this could be our last time here. We'll never know, but if we don't leave soon, we could be stuck in this world for who knows how long."

Lacy's eyes widened. "You... you never told me that!"

Sanji placed a hand on her shoulder. "We didn't want to worry you, Lacy-chan."

"And this doesn't?!" She turned around to face her friends. "We... we have to leave as soon as possible! The log pose has already located the next island. Who knows if we can even leave here!"

"But what if you don't come back?"

Lacy could see Kiara's eyes swell up in tears. "Kiara-san... I'm so sorry... We're infamous and wanted pirates after all. We belong out at sea."

"NO YOU DON'T!! YOU BELONG HERE WITH US!!" She ran back to the car, crying her eyes out.

Ana turned around to walk back to the car, but stopped for a moment and spoke. "Lacy, to me, what you're doing is stupid and childish and none of this makes any sense." Lacy tried to hold back her tears, but it was hard to do with her friends mad at her, until Ana looked back at her. "But no matter what, we'll always care about you and support you. You're like a sister to us after all." As they drove away from port, Lacy stood staring at their direction.

Sanji took a step forward. "Lacy-chan..."

Zoro wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her. "Lacy, it's not your fault."

"That's right." Nami agreed. "It's your own decision to do this. You have free will like everyone else."

Her lip quivered. "Then... why do I feel so bad?" She spoke in a low voice.

Zoro tightened his grip around her. "Because you have a good heart."

* * *

Things seemed to get worse and worse for Lacy. Later that afternoon she went back home to tell her parents about their departure. From there, things went to hell.

"You're not going anywhere, Lacy!" Her dad shouted. "You're staying here! What about a college education?!"

She could hear her sisters sniveling upstairs, overhearing the conversation. "You never went to college, dad. And I already missed a year! I'm doing great with my comics at the moment! I'm half way done with it!"

"Then what?!" Her mom broke in. "What are you going to do after your comic?! All you're going to do is draw?!"

"So what?! I love drawing with a passion! Plus I'm making several comics, this is just one that's almost done! If you paid any attention to me back in high school, you would've known that!"

Her mom began to cry angry tears. "Lacy, please stay here! Don't run off again! Don't you know that you could be killed out at sea?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"I don't trust anything that could kill you!"

"God mom! I could walk outside right now and get hit by a car in an accident and even that can kill me! Think of me as joining the navy! It's a risky and dangerous job, but it's new and adventureous and it's what I want to do! You're suffocating me! I want to do this, ok?! Aren't I allowed to do whatever I want for my own future?!"

"There are limitations, Lacy!!" Her dad argued.

"No, there's not! Only the person giving up has limitations! I'm going forward and trying to live my life to its fullest!"

"Life isn't all fun a games!" Her mom shouted. "I thought I taught you that!"

"No... you taught me 'all work and no play'. Life is suppose to be fun, with responsibilities that are applied when necessary!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I'm sick of being held back!! Ever since I've been gone has been the greatest thing that's ever happened to me!! Why are your trying to take that away from me?!"

"Stop arguing with us! You're staying here and that's final!" Her mom was practically screaming now.

"No! I'm an adult! I can choose to do whatever I want! I'm not living under your roof anymore, it's like I'm living in my own place now so you can't tell me what to do!!"

"Why you little bitch!!"

Her mom came at her with a raised hand. Lacy shut her eyes tight and flinched, waiting for her to strike. Just waiting for it defenselessly. Old habits die hard...

_SLAP!!_

Lacy opened her eyes slowly, wondering what her mom had slapped instead of her. _Why didn't she slap me...? _Her eyes widened as she found Zoro standing in front of her with his arms spread slightly out in a protective manner. "Z-Zoro!"

"Why the hell did you get involved?!" Her dad yelled at him.

Her mom rubbed her hand. "How_ dare_ you!"

She couldn't take it anymore. Lacy broke down. "WHY DID YOU HURT ZORO?!"

"Oh PLEASE, Lacy!" Her mom shouted sarcastically. "Calm the fuck down!"

She took a step over to the side and saw Zoro's red cheek. "Are you ok, Zoro?!"

Instead of answering, he picked up Lacy bridal style. "How could you strike your own daughter like that?! And after she finally came home?!"

"Zoro...!"

"What are you going to do to her?!" Her mother's voice trembled. "Put her down now! We love her!"

"THIS is what you call 'love' in your home?! What I give her is real love!" He turned around and started walking towards the door when Lacy could hear her sister's cries.

"No! Don't go!!" They called. "Please don't leave again!"

Lacy looked up at them, giving them a smile through her tears. "I'll stay in touch. I love you guys."

Her dad grabbed Zoro's shoulder. "You have no right to take her away! You can't just walk out of here with her!"

He glanced back at him, giving him a low glare. "Watch me."

"You little shit!" Her dad raised his fist to him, but Zoro was already out the door and ran as fast as he could with Lacy in his arms.

She could hear her sisters cries even in the distance. In the background, she could hear her parents calling after her, begging and demanding that she'd come back. But it was too late. There was no way she wanted to go back to that drama. Not ever.

By the time they reached the park, Zoro stopped and set Lacy down on a large rock.

"Are you alright?" He examined her face, trying to see if her mother struck her without him knowing.

She was hysterical. "Zoro!! Oh my God, are you ok?! What did she do to you?! What happened?! Why did you–"

"Stop! Calm down, Lacy! Let me see where–"

"She struck you! I can't believe she struck you, Zoro! The way they treated you! The way they called you those horrible things–!" She spoke in a fast, trembling voice. She was shaking and running her hands over his body, as if trying to find a solution to something.

"Lacy! Calm down!"

"They never accept anything I do! They never support my decisions! They always say I'm wrong! They always fucking treat me like shit!"

"Lacy!"

"I hate them! I HATE THEM!!"

"STOP IT!!" Zoro cradled her in his arms, pressing her hard against his chest with an arm wrapped tight around her and the other supporting her head. "I'm here now, it's ok. Just stop now."

She bawled in his arms, soaking his shirt with tears. "It's not fair!" She muffled.

"Shut up. Don't talk." He pulled her gently away from him so he could see her face. "Listen, we're going to spend the night somewhere. We're not going back, ok?" She nodded vehemently. "Ok. I know going back to the ship is one thing you don't want to do, so we're going to a hotel."

She shook her head again, trying to clam down. He took her to a hotel down the street and paid with what he had left for the room. It was small, but to their sat on the bed while Zoro went to go get her a cold washcloth to calm down with. When he returned he found her looking lifelessly off into space. "Lacy?"

"I'm sorry, Zoro..."

He knew what she was apologizing for and with that he said nothing. The situation and hysterics got the best of her and she knew that. Call it an angry adrenaline rush, but she knew her attitude before in the park were uncontrolled. He leaned her back on the bed next to him and held her in his arms with the cold towel over her forehead.

"We're safe now. No one's coming for you."

She had stopped crying completely by now. She looked up at him with her wet bloodshot eyes and rubbed his cheek.

"...Does it hurt?"

He guided her hand, squeezing it gently. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

He smiled. "Positive. What about you? How are you feeling?"

She kept her hand in his cheek as she searched for the right words to say. "...Been better, and that's twice now that you've seen my mom like that. I'm sorry."

He sighed. "There you go apologizing again. It's not your fault."

"Somehow I feel like it is..."

"I don't want to you to ever go back there, no matter what, got it?"

She looked at him confused. "Huh?"

"All you do is cry when you go over there; hell you cry when they're mentioned. It's too much for the both of us and I don't want you to suffer anymore. Not like this."

She tried smiling. "The hardships of life."

"Be serious, Lacy."

"I am. I really am."

He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "You go through a shit load."

"Zoro, what happened back there? When she hit you?"

He sighed, not happy with the subject. "She didn't hit me. I simply saw her coming at you and I blocked."

"Why?"

"What kind of a question is that?! I told you before that I'd protect you from her and that's exactly what I did."

She hugged him, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "I love you."

He smiled. "Go to sleep. It's been a long night."

She nodded, closing her eyes and fell asleep in no time from mental exhaustion. Zoro however, lied awake during most of the night; replaying the episode over and over in his mind.

* * *

The next morning Zoro decided to go help everyone on the ship to make preparations for their voyage. Lacy however snuck off back to her house. When she arrived there, she saw her parents were in the living room arguing. Curious, she crept near a window to hear better, but all she could make out were bits and pieces. Apparently they regretted everything that happened the other day and realized they fought with her out of anger and love and that they didn't really mean to chase her away since they only wanted her to stay. As touching as it was, it only mad Lacy angrier that it was expressed in such a horrible way. Not wanting to face a part 2 of yesterday, she slithered her way up to her sisters room on the roof in her water form and trie to get their attention by tapping on their window. Luckily they were both in the room and ran to open up the window.

Before they could say anything, Lacy quickly shushed them. "Don't speak too loud. I don't want mom or dad to know I'm here."

Holly looked angry. "Why?! You guys should go downstairs and work things out from last night--"

"I don't want to go through that drama again. But I didn't want to leave without us being ok."

Anne looked like she was going to cry. "Why do you have to go? Why is this so important to you?"

"It... just is. Between me being with Zoro and a life at sea, it's just better that I go. Besides, like I mentioned before it's almost exactly like joining the navy and going out to see, right? You don't expect me to stay home forever do you?"

"But there's no way for you to see us or us to see you."

"I know, which is why you guys should get a webcam. Internet still works for me so for now emails and pictures will work. Ok?" They both started to cry and nodded. Lacy hugged them both tightly and smiled. "I love you both very much. Please tell mom and dad that I'm sorry and that I still love them, ok?" They nodded.

"Take care of yourself, ok? Don't do anything stupid." Holly said.

"And be careful of sea storms." Anne added.

Lacy nodded. "I will, and thanks. Love you girls." She silently jumped off the room and waved back at them. After blowing them both a kiss good-bye, she headed back towards the Going Merry.

* * *

The sail was set and the anchor was ready to be raised as soon as Zoro was given the word. Luffy sat on top of the goat's head while Usopp scanned the horizon in the crow's nest.

"Are we ready?" Sanji called up to the sniper.

"Un. The weather's clear and the wind's right. What do you say Nami?"

She gave him a thumbs up. "Ready to set sail. Let's go~!"

The anchor was lifted and the Going Merry had finally set out to sea. It was a bright, sunny clear day with a gentle sea breeze blowing.

"Daijoubu desu ka, Lacy?" Chopper asked his friend.

She nodded. "Yeah I'm fine. Thank you Chopper."

She kept staring back at the port, watching her childhood reply over in her head as the familiar buildings and sounds seemed to drift in her mind. Just then, a grey car swerved next to the pier and a handful of women ran out towards the Going Merry.

"LACY!!! LACY!!!"

Coming out of her daze, Lacy looked up and saw Kiara calling out to her. With her were also her other best friends Julie, Ana, and Cleo. "G-Guys?!"

"WAIT!!! PLEASE WAIT!!!"

Lacy looked back at her crew then her friends again. She clenched her fists and released geysers our from under her feet, sending her flying into the air and landing safely onto the pier.

"L-Lacy!!" Usopp shouted after her.

Sanji ran over to the railing, getting ready to jump after her. "Lacy-chan!!"

"Matte." Zoro placed a hand on Sanji's back. "Give her some space."

"Teemee!! She's leaving!!"

"Can't they say their good-byes in peace?"

Sanji blinked. "Good... byes?"

They looked up to see all the women crying, embracing each other dearly.

Kiara was bawling. "Y-You promise to write, won't you?! You'll email me everyday and keep me updated, right?!"

"I will. I swear to God I will! I even bought a webcam like you said." Lacy smiled between her tears.

"R-really?!"

"Really."

Ana looked down at her friend. "I don't want you to go."

"I know. But wouldn't you do the same thing if you thought you'd never see your boyfriend Reed again?"

She nodded. "I-I guess you're right... I still think it's stupid!"

"I know... But that's me, a stupid blonde; remember?"

Julie tried laughing. "Our stupid blonde... and my Barwench still heh heh."

"Heh heh, see? I knew I could get a smile out of one of you at least."

"You always could..." Cleo smiled. "I'll miss you. you contact us as soon as you're back in town, ok?"

"I will. I'll miss you guys too so very much! I'll let you in on all of my adventures so it's like you're watching an anime of me, okies?"

"Yeah."

"LACY-CHAAAAAAN!!" They looked over and saw Sanji and Chopper waving after her.

"HAIYAKU!!" Chopper panicked. "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!!"

Lacy panicked. "S-Shit! I've got to go!"

Before she broke from everyone's grasp, Kiara gave her one last hug.

"Take care, Lacy-chan. Stay out of trouble, ok? I know that's hard for you."

She nodded, wiping away her tears with her jacket sleeve. "Yeah." She gave them one more group hug then dashed for the Going Merry. She looked back, waving at them with a wet smile. "I love you guys! Remember that!"

She jumped high and far into the air, using her water technique to give her a boost. But it was too late. The Going Merry was too far away from the pier.

The girls ran over to the edge of the pier. "Lacy!!"

She started to fall towards the water, losing energy fast. "S-Shit... no... strength..."

"Someone help her!!" Julie called out.

Just then, an arm stretched out and wrapped around Lacy's waist, pulling her away just in time before hitting the water. Luffy sprung her back onto the ship with Zoro catching her in his arms. But Luffy pulled too hard back and sent the three of them flying into the wall, landing on top of each other.

"A-Are you guys ok?!" Chopper asked, running over to his fallen crew mates.

"Lacy-chan?!"

She sat up, rubbing her lower back. "Geh... I'm fine. Rough landing."

Sanji sighed in relief. "Yougatta."

"LUFFY!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!" Lacy jumped at Zoro's sudden outburst as he threatened Luffy lying under him.

"Heeheehee Wari wari Zoro~!" Luffy laughed, adjusting his straw hat.

Lacy giggle as she got off of Zoro and helped him get off of Luffy. She looked back at the pier which seemed to have shrunk to her. She saw her friends waving frantically at her, and she waved back.

"I SWEAR TO GOD WE'LL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN!!" She screamed after them. "COUNT ON IT!!"

As they finally disappeared in the distance, the ship grew quiet, with only Lacy still standing on the main deck.

"Lacy?" Zoro came out of the kitchen and found Lacy still staring out at the sea. "Coming in?"

"Huh?" She turned around a moment later, as if not hearing him right away. "O-Oh, yeah. I was just thinking."

He walked down behind her with his hand resting on his swords. "You ok?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I'll get over it. I have no regrets."

"You sure?"

She smiled. "Positive."

"Is there some part of you that wanted to stay?"

She smiled. "Yeah... mostly for my friends sakes. We're all really close friends, did you know that?"

"Lacy..."

"We told each other everything and I mean everything. Plus we'd tell each other stories, ideas, dreams, our futures... They're like sisters to me; as close as a true family, you know?"

Zoro placed his hands on her shoulders. "Yeah. I know. and speaking of family, you went back to see them didn't you?"

"Now how the hell did you know that?!"

"You're easy to read, Lacy. It wasn't that hard. And you gave yourself away just now."

She blushed, embarrassed. "Ok I did, but I want to leave on better terms with my sisters. It tore me up to have left the other day with them giving me those heartbreaking looks. I needed a better picture to remember them by."

"I know. I just wanted you to be ok around your family without me there."

She leaned back against him, smiling up at the sky. "You know, I'm so lucky to have people that care so much about me."

"Hm? Why do you say that?"

"Because it let's me know I have true friends out there that are looking out after me. not to mention a passionate crew and a loving, loyal husband."

He smiled, and kissed her on top of her head. "You are lucky."


	43. Ch42: Enter Franky and Brook

_**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: ]] **_Hey guys! Long time no hear! I've been horrible haven't I? Not updating in nearly 4 months... . *whacks self* Well, this may be a short chapter but in the next couple days I'll post anothe one up then eventually a couple more over the next couple of weeks. But I know you've all been wondering where Brook and Franky have been so now here they are. Remember, I wrote these way back when the gang was first entering Water 7, so at the time Franky and Brook weren't involved with the crew. Anyways, enjoy!

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* * *

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**---**

**CHAPTER 42: The Old World is Gone! Enter Franky and Brook**

**---**

The mornings were getting warmer from the summer sun. Lacy found herself to be the only one in bed still, though it was only 10am. When she rolled out of bed, she noticed something was amiss. She scanned the room and found it to be completely different from the room she fell asleep in just hours ago. It still had all of her belongings as well as Zoro's, only everything was bigger and rearranged. She threw on some shorts and grabbed one of her kodachis just in case she was kidnapped. She walked up the unfamiliar stairs up to the deck. She opened a door and found herself in what seemed to be the living room. Her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute…! This is…" She noticed a very large fish tank on one side of the room and a round table with chairs and beanbags circling it. She heard laughter on the other side of another door and she had a hunch that is was the kitchen. "Is this…?" She opened the door and soon enough she found everyone laughing, fighting, and eating; basically carrying on like a normal day. Her jaw dropped as she yelled. "THOUSAND SUNNY GO?!?!"

Everyone stopped and looked at the surprised blonde. Luffy waved at her with his mouth full. "Na, Lacy! Come eat! Sanji made bacon~!"

She couldn't move. Too many questions flooded her mind. "B-But… W-What happened to Going Merry Go?! W-Why are we on the Thousand Sunny Go?!"

"Eh? What are you talking about? Going Merry Go was burned weeks ago, don't you remember?"

She looked over at the new voice and instantly recognized the face. "FRANKY?!" The blue-haired cyborg man covered his ears from her shouting. He was as real as her: his metal nose, small speedo and sunglasses with a Hawaiian open shirt, blue star tattoos on both of his overly buff forearms, and no shoes. It was the cyborg who ran on cola and loved to build and invent new things: Franky.

"Why are you shouting, Lacy?"

"Y-You know who I am?!"

"What are you talking about? Of course I know who you are! I've known you since Enies Lobby, duh!"

"Are you ok, Lacy?" Chopper asked.

"T-This doesn't make sense… wait a minute!" She glanced over her shoulder and sure enough found a tall talking skeleton sipping on some tea with a walking cane on his arm.

"Yohohoho! Good morning Lacy-chan~. Would you be so kind as to tell me what color panties you are wearing today~?"

Normally she'd hit him like everyone else for asking such an embarrassing question, but she was too much in shock to even reply. The skeleton took a step towards her. "Ano… Lacy-chan? Are you alright?"

"What's going on Lacy?" Zoro finally spoke up.

"T-This isn't happening…!"

"What's not happening?" Nami asked.

"F-Franky and Brook are here!"

"Yeah. So?"

"They weren't here last night! And neither was Thousand Sunny Go!"

"You mean you don't remember?" Nami walked over to her and felt her forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever… did you hit your head this morning?"

She pushed her hand away. "I'm not sick or having a brain lapse! Time has seriously skipped forward and now we're in the Thousand Sunny Go and Franky and Brook have joined us!"

"But they were always here." Luffy said.

"I know! But somehow time has jumped and is up to date with the manga and anime!"

"You mean this never happened before because of the anime One Piece?" Robin asked.

"That's what I'm saying! The manga was in the middle of the Enies Lobby, then Brook met up on Thriller Bark and now all of a sudden it's caught up to this time!"

"What? That's strange… How can that possibly happen?!" Nami exclaimed.

"Maybe…" Robin wondered. "Ever since we met up with Miss Artist in her world, time has been skipping around for her since she's not actually in the series. Now that the series has had some time to add new crew members and surroundings, it has caught our memories up to date as if Miss Artist was there the entire time."

"Wait… Was I? I remember watching that on tv and reading the manga chapters, but I'm not part of the series. But somehow I was still there in your memories?"

She nodded. "You were there when I was captured at Enies Lobby, then again on Thriller Bark fighting against Moria and the undead."

"You don't remember that?" Zoro asked. "You helped Usopp fight that ghost girl then again with that giant Oz zombie."

"No… I was never there…" She noticed a hint of hurt in his eyes. _Did I do something wrong? _She wondered.

"So if you have no memory of being there with us, but we have memory of it, what does that mean exactly?" Sanji asked.

Robin just shook her head. "I'm not sure. It's still a complete mystery how our worlds crossed in the first place."

Lacy's head popped up. "C-Chotto matte! That must've been it!"

"Nani?"

"When our worlds crossed the first time, we met each other then we crossed back over to your world after I joined. Then somehow we crossed into my world again. Now that we're back in your world, time has somehow jumped forward as if there was a time lapse while we were hanging out in my world a second time!"

Robin placed a hand on her chin. "Hm… that does make sense. It would explain our memories being adjusted and not yours. It almost makes perfect sense except for the fact of the mystery of our worlds colliding."

She sighed. "That's still going to be one pain of a mystery, but it does seem to make the most sense."

"So you don't know who I am?" Brook sad in a soft, sad tone.

Lacy smiled. "Of course I do. Why do you think I know your name and Franky's? Like I said, I've been keeping up to date with the manga and anime. Ah!"

"What is it Lacy-chan?"

"Do you and Franky know about my world and technology and all of that?"

"Yes, I remember you explaining it to us when we joined." Franky answered. "You have a weird world, but some _SUPAA _cool gadgets and far out technology! Like that computer of yours! And movies!"

"Ok good. I was hoping I didn't have to explain that again." She giggled. "It's still a little awkward though…"

"What is?"

"You have memories of me, and yet the only memories I have of you guys are from the anime. It's like I missed out on our adventures or something… You guys can talk and reminisce while I'll be left out…"

"Do not worry, Lacy-chan." Brook reassured her. "We still have many adventures to share together and make new wonderful memories!"

She smiled. "You're right. Thanks Brook."

"Now that that's all settled, may I see your panties?"

This time without hesitation, Lacy kicked Brook in the stomach and he slammed into the wall. She sighed with a smile. "Perverted skeleton…"

She finally relaxed and ate with everyone at the table, but for some reason Zoro had a troubled expression on his face. She ignored it for the time being as she admired the interesting new ship. It was much larger than the Going Merry; it was spacious and had it's own grassy yard and swing and almost everyone had their own space for work. There was a work area for Usopp and Franky, a garden and lawn chair for Robin with another lawn chair for Nami to join and her own navigation room on the upper deck. A play area for Chopper and Luffy to run about, the large enclosed crow's nest was a weight room for Zoro, and a padded bench and wall next to the mast for Lacy to draw on the grass. The girls still slept in one room while the boys slept in another. Lacy and Zoro still slept in the same room by themselves with a larger room and bigger furniture.

* * *

After exploring the ship for a while and enjoying the ship's new look and features, she decided to go down to her room and grab some art supplies so she could enjoy drawing in her special spot on deck. While she was gathering her supplies, Zoro followed her to their room and closed the door behind him.

"Hey Zoro~! Whatcha up to?"

"Just got done working out. Oi… is what you said at breakfast true?"

She looked into his eyes and sighed. "I really hate it when you get that serious look in your eyes. It always worries me."

"Why?"

"Because you always seem to bring up something depressing." She paused for a moment before continuing. "If you're talking about how everyone's memories not being the same as mine, then yes. Did I say something wrong? I know something bothered you--"

He cut her off with a warm embrace, but this one was different from all of his usual ones. This one wasn't his usual hugs from worry, but of relief. Strangely enough… it was a happy embrace.

"Yougatta…"

"What's wrong, Zoro? You're acting strange…"

"I'm just so happy you have no memory of our last few adventures."

She blinked, confused. "Eh? What are you talking about? I may not have been there as far as my memories are concerned, but at least I know what went on."

"Yes, but seeing it on your anime and experiencing it first hand are completely different."

She thought about it for a second before realizing what he was mentioning. "Are you… talking about your fight with Bartholomew Kuma on Thriller Bark?"

His looked at her with surprised eyes. "How did you--"

"I told you already; I saw everything in the manga and anime. And trust me, it was depressing enough to watch that…"

"That's why I'm happy. The expression on your face when I woke up from that coma… it was heart shattering…"

She felt like she wanted to cry. Hearing him say she did something when she has no memory of it made her wish she was involved. Not to mention the experience must have been painful. "I can… only imagine how I reacted. I was a mess, wasn't I?"

He nodded. "You thought I was going to die until Chopper said I was in a coma and could possibly be paralyzed from the neck down. You supported me, but the expression on your face and all your tears and crying was unbearable. I'm just so thankful you don't remember something that horrible." He hugged her again. "I'm so happy…"

She hugged him back, thankful for finding the strength to hold back her tears. "I guess all I could really say is that I'm glad too. I only wish _you_ didn't have to remember that…"

He released her and smiled. "I'd rather you forget it than me." He bent over to pick up her things and grabbed her hand. "Ikusou."

"Eh? Where are we going?"

"I'll join you up on the top deck. I'll lay next to you while you draw."

She felt relieved that he was ok, but was still troubled at the matter of having no memory of those battles together. She smiled. "You're just going to fall asleep."

"H-Haa?! What makes you think I'm gonna fall asleep?"

She giggled. "Well you just had a work out so I'm sure you're tired. Then again, work out or no work out, you're always falling asleep on deck."

"You're so negative…"

"Nope! Just stating the facts!" Before they walked out the door, she pulled him back slightly.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She gave him a soft smile. "I just want you to know, whether I was there or not, that I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me? For what?"

"You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save Luffy and this crew. Without hesitating you were willing to throw your dreams and ambitions to save your loved ones. And no matter how hard I cried or would cry, I couldn't be more proud of my husband."

He smiled back and kissed her on the forehead. "And I'd do it again to save you. All of you."

She nodded. "I know."


	44. Ch43: Old Familiar Feelings

[[AUTHOR'S NOTE]] Sorry it's been a long time guys! A LOT has happened in my life since the end of April, but I hope this random side story makes up for that. _ Erm... this was a dream I actually had (well, similar; I had to modify it to the story of course) and thought it was an interesting way of inserting this into the story. The dream was a little freaky though so I don't think it'll come across that way too well in the story, but just letting you know it was a subconscious inspiration and thus why I wrote this... Enjoy! P.S. I personally believe in spirits, so whether you do or don't have fun reading this anyways. ^_^

* * *

**CHAPTER 43: Old Familiar Feelings...**

"A haunted island? Are you serious?" Nami glared at the old fisherman, unconvinced.

"Aye. This island is well known for strange happenings and ghost sightings."

"G-Ghost sightings?" Usopp and Chopper's jaws dropped.

Lacy's eyes lit up. "Ghost sightings~? How often does that happen?"

"It figures you'd enjoy this island." Robin giggled.

"Seriously," Nami pointed a finger at the man. "If this island was really haunted, then why are there still villagers here?"

"Because we treat this island like a sacred temple; you treat and respect the spirits well, and they'll leave you alone."

"That still sounds ridiculous!"

"Hmph! If there are any ghosts, I'll just blow them away with my SUPER amazing abilities!" Franky smiled.

"I'm excited! Maybe we'll meet a ghost if we stay long enough!" Lacy smiled.

"N-n-n-n-o g-ghosts for m-me t-t-thanks!" Usopp coward.

"M-me too!" Chopper agreed.

"M-me three!"

"Brook, you practically lived on a ghost ship near Thriller Bark. So why would you be afraid?" Sanji asked.

"Ghosts are still scary no matter what! They make me jump out of my skin! Only I don't have any skin… Yohohoho!"

"Well ghosts are no ghosts, we'll be staying here for a while anyways so we might as well be comfortable and respect any wandering spirits here." Robin smiled.

"Don't tell me you believe any of this, Robin?" Nami sighed.

She shrugged. "One can never be too careful."

* * *

The crew went into town to take a look around and resupply. The island they had landed on looked like a normal island, but it was always overcast with fog hovering over the town day and night. It reminded Lacy of a permanent Sleepy Hollow with it's eerie vibe and cold chill whenever you saw shadows in the fog of the villagers. The crew split up with Lacy and Usopp going together to grab some items. Usopp was on his constant guard as he hid behind Lacy walking down the street. Lacy sighed and couldn't help but feel annoyed by Usopp as well as a little crept out herself.

"Are you going to be doing this the entire time we're here? I can't have you hugging my back the whole trip, you know."

"S-Sorry, but this town really gives me the creeps. The entire island is engulfed in this fog, not to mention there could be ghosts around every corner!"

"As much I would secretly love to see a ghost, I doubt we'll see any so just pretend it's a rainy day and stop cowering."

He found the courage to walk beside her and gave her and curious stare. "How come you're not bothered by this town?"

"Oh trust me, it's creepy. But I believe in the supernatural so seeing a ghost would be exciting. Like that old man said, we've got to respect the roaming spirits here, so if we do see one just be nice to it and nothing will happen."

He sighed. "It's like you in Thriller Bark all over again."

A pain suddenly hit her chest. "How did I react on Thriller Bark?" She asked.

"Oh yeah… Sorry, I forgot you don't have any memory from it for some crazy reason... But you were excited running around the graveyards. You said you loved reading tombstones and wanting to find some ghosts. You have weird tastes in excitement if you ask me."

That made her smile again. "That sounds like me."

An hour went by and they had been to a couple stores already. Usopp bought some new gadgets and supplies to help with his inventions and slingshot pellets while Lacy bought more sword cleaner and a couple new shirts. As they began to walk to another part of the town, something caught Lacy's eye.

Usopp noticed. "What is it, Lacy?"

"I could've sworn I saw…" She walked toward the corner of the street and dropped her bags in shock.

"W-What is it?" Usopp ran over to her and tried looking around for anything suspicious. "Did you see something?"

She couldn't help but smile. "Po… Pokey!" She knelt down and hugged the basset hound at her feet. The dog wagged it's tail uncontrollably and bark in her ear. Lacy cupped the dogs face and used her fingertips to scratch behind its ears. "You're such a good dog, Pokey! Yes you are! What are you doing here?"

Usopp stared at her. "Pokey…? Who's Pokey?"

"My dog! She was the first dog I ever had and she was the sweetest thing! She would bark non stop a lot though, but we loved her and she lived up to my seventeenth birthday!"

"Ok… so why are you randomly talking about her now?"

She looked up at him. "What are you talking about? I'm petting her right now! Can't you see?"

He looked at her extended hands petting the air then looked around as if the dog escaped or was hiding. "Where is she now?"

"I'm still petting her dork! Right here!"

"…O-Ok… I don't know if you're just trying to scare me or you've gone mad."

"Are you seriously saying you can't see her?" He shook his head. Lacy stared into her dog's eyes for a moment before her smile faded. "Souka… I just started petting her without realizing I was really petting a spirit…"

"W-Wait! You mean to tell me you're petting the ghost of your dead dog?"

She sighed. "I guess so…" She couldn't help but continue to pet her dog during her depressing thought process.

"Your mind could just be playing tricks on you or if there was really a ghost dog there, how do you know it's your dog?"

She smiled. "I know my mind's not playing tricks on me because I was looking for any kind of spirits, not ones from my own past. I haven't even thought about Pokey in a long time since her death… But I know she's really here -erm, in spirit form anyway. I can smell her familiar scent, feel her soft fur under my fingers. I know this is her because of her markings and pink faded collar." She giggled. "She's even still wearing the Christmas Tree tag I got for her years ago over the holidays and we never took it off for some reason."

Usopp knelt beside her. "Well… if you really are petting your dog, how come I can't see her and only you can?"

"I don't know… maybe because she only wants me to see her or maybe people see certain ghosts. I'm not sure." Something else caught her eye and she stood up and pointed. "U-Usopp..! Look!"

He looked at where she was pointing and standing at the end of the ally was a pale woman smiling at them. She had short wavy black hair and a long nose. They both knew perfectly well who was standing before them. Usopp took a shaky step forward. "M-Mom…?" The woman nodded and smiled. She turned around and began to walk away. He ran after her, arm extended. "M-Mom! Mom! Is that really you?"

"I'm so proud of you, Usopp." She spoke in a weak voice. "You grow more and more like your father. I'm so happy for you."

This made both of them freeze in their tracks. Not only was the spirit of Usopp's mother standing in front of them, but she spoke too. And with a blink of an eye her image faded into the fog.

"What… what just happened?" Lacy asked. She looked down and noticed Pokey disappeared as well. She suddenly felt like she wanted to cry. Realizing Usopp was still staring at the spot his mother stood, she walked up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm… I'm glad you got to see your mother again, Usopp."

"Was she real…?" He asked softly, not knowing if his mind was playing tricks on him or she really was there.

"I-I think so… I mean, I saw her too right? So she had to of been real…"

A tear rolled down his cheek. "Mom..."

* * *

"Matakkun… where are the docks again?" Zoro wondered aimlessly around the streets of town scratching his head and wondering where the _Thousand Sunny Go_ was. Once again as usual, he had gotten himself lost. He found himself walking into some woods outside of town and realized he was going in the wrong direction. It took him a couple hours, but he managed to walk back into the town and noticed he was on a completely different street. His brow twitched. "Where the hell… am I now?"

He heard a little girl giggle behind him at his misfortune. He turned around to see the child when his jaw dropped. His eyes went wide, dripping in cold sweat as he gazed at the child. "O… Omae…!"

The girl smiled. "I'm so glad you kept me in your thoughts, Zoro. You haven't changed a bit, including how you could never find your way around the simplest places." The little girl looked about 13 years old with pale pink skin and short navy blue hair. Her dark eyes gleamed up at him with her devious smile toying with his state of mind. She took a step toward him. "What's the matter, Zoro? Oh! I guess seeing me after all these years _would _be a bit of a shock."

Zoro swallowed before he finally spoke. "K…Kuina…! W-What… how…?" He found the strength to inch towards her, still sweating. "You died… You died and y-yet… you're here! How?"

"Don't you remember what that old man said to you guys earlier? Spirits wonder around here."

"But you died a long time ago and in the East Blue! You've never even been in the Grand Line! So how could you possibly be here right now?" Nothing was making sense to him.

"Spirits from all over wonder here to find some trace of peace when they are not ready to enter the afterlife. That perfectly explains why I'm here now."

"Why would you want to be a wondering spirit?"

She smiled and stood right in front of him. "Because I missed you, Zoro."

"T-That's not it! You died too young and it was your dream to become the world's greatest swordsmen and be the first female to achieve that dream-!"

In a blink of an eye she rose and was eye level with him. He took a step back. "That may have been true, but I really missed you Zoro. We were so close and only you could keep up with me and my sword skills." She looked down at his haramaki and smiled. "And it looks like you've missed me too."

"O-Of course I missed you! You were my friend and you just suddenly-"

"So what are you doing as a pirate of all things and traveling with _her_?"

"I had no choice at the time. But I don't regret the decision of joining. I'm following a great man, Kuina. I've met some amazing people and grew stronger since."

"You're avoiding the 'her' part of my question."

"Her?"

"Don't be coy with me, Zoro. You've been very close with that blonde girl. She seems to be hanging around you a lot."

He swallowed again. "Lacy? What about her?"

"Lacy…" She played with the name as if to find a special meaning in it. "Lacy… Lacy… Strange name. Seems like the type you don't usually go after."

That knocked Zoro back to his senses. "And how would you know about my 'types'? Wait... 'types'?"

She giggled. "I can tell when we were young that you liked the tough, hard-to-get girls."

"You make it sound like I knew my way around the field."

"No, but you always seemed to be intrigued by me."

He pulled himself away from her. "Why are we talking about this, Kuina? I'm still not sure if you're real or not!"

"Oh I'm real alright~. Just… not physically. Zoro…" She reached her hands out to touch his cheeks. "Do me a favor, please? That blonde will hurt you. Stay away from her... Or else." And with that she vanished.

Zoro stood there still in shock. He looked around to see if maybe she was just hiding, but found only himself in the middle of the deserted street. He touched his cheeks, remembering her touch. It was as real as he was, but cold. Typical for a spirit. He began to shake and rubbed his arms! to fight off the chill. "W-Why is my past chasing me here?…"

* * *

Usopp and Lacy headed back to the _Thousand Sunny Go _where the majority of the crew was sitting on the upper deck already discussing their strange ghostly encounters.

"Looks like we weren't the only ones who saw a ghost." Lacy commented.

"You guys too?" Chopper exclaimed.

"Who did you guys see? Someone from your family or friends?" Nami asked.

Lacy's interest jumped. "You mean you guys saw someone close to you too?"

"I-I saw my mother!" Usopp busted out.

"Really? I saw Doctor Hiluluk!" Chopper smiled.

"And Bellemere-san!" Added Nami.

Brook laughed. "And some of my old crew mates!"

Franky posed while he cried. "I had a touching reunion with my dearest friend Tom!"

Zoro walked onto the deck and finally joined them. Luffy turned around and smiled at him. "Did you see a ghost too, Zoro?"

His head popped up fast. ""N-Nani?"

"We all saw ghosts from our past~. What about you Zoro?"

"Eh? O-Oh… Yeah, I saw an old friend…"

"Who?"

"A-An old friend from my pirate hunting days."

"But it was strange…" Robin wondered. "We were able to see our ghosts, but no one else could."

"Not us." Lacy disagreed. "I was able to see Usopp's mom."

"Ya, but I wasn't able to see your dog."

Franky raised an eyebrow. "You saw your dog? We all saw the people closest to us, but you saw your dog?" There was almost a hint of laughter in his tone.

She glared at him. "Yes I saw my dog! She was my best friend and I had her for my whole life up to my seventeenth birthday, thank you very much! There's nothing wrong with that."

"Then why were you able to see Usopp's mom then and not the other way around?" Nami asked.

"I don't know… maybe because I know what she looks like and he didn't know what my dog looked like."

Robin nodded. "That would make sense considering we've never seen each others loved ones so the manifestation of these spirits could only be seen if we all knew what they looked like in life."

"Well, I know Zoro would be the only other person to see my dog because he's seen pictures of her. Ne, Zoro?"

"Huh? What?" He didn't realize he was spacing out. "O-Oh ya, I remember her. Donkey, right?"

"Her name was Pokey, baka!" She corrected him.

Chopper and Franky giggled. "Pfft! Pokey~."

Lacy whipped around and yelled at them. "Ususai! I was two when I got her and it was a cute name so don't laugh!"

While she scolded them, Zoro slipped below deck to gather his thoughts. The shock was still lingering from his unpredicted visitor.

Lacy soon noticed his absence and followed. When she entered her room she found him sitting on the bed looking down at his hands. She snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. It made him jump.

She laughed. "It's ok Zoro, it's just me. No ghosts in here, promise. You've been a little spaced out and jumpy since you got back. Are you ok?"

"I guess so…"

She lowered her gaze at him, knowing right away he was hiding something. "What's wrong, Zoro? Was your encounter with your friend… a bad one?"

He sat up and pulled himself away from her. "You could say that."

"Then what happened? Come on, you can tell me. Who was it?" His eyes almost gave away his sadness. So she guessed. "Was it Saga?" Zoro just looked at her, puzzled. She laughed nervously, catching herself. "O-Oh right… he didn't die… Then who?" Zoro started walking towards the door. "Zoro!"

"Just drop it ok? I'm not asking anyone else about their ghosts. It's no big deal!"

Lacy's eyes widened, finally understanding who he saw. She threw out another guess, this one maybe being the right answer. "You… saw Kuina didn't you?" His back straightened, giving Lacy his answer. "You did, didn't you? Zoro…?"

He closed the door so know one would hear, his back still facing her. "Of all people, she shows up as the spirit to haunt me."

Lacy got off the bed and walked slowly towards him. "You can't blame yourself for what happened to her, Zoro. You know that. Unless she said something to you to make you act this way… did she?" He didn't move. "Zoro! Dammit! Talk to me!"

"This has nothing to do with you!"

She froze. Anger began to swell up inside her. "Nothing to do with me, huh? Ooh I don't know Zoro, I'm only your wife who wants to help you out with your problems and endure your pain instead of you! I mean after all, she was the woman of your dreams at one point, right? It's only awkward to have her be around when I'm in the picture right?"

He looked at her with wide eyes. Her response seemed over the top than usual with their arguments, and yet he could clearly sense a jealous anger within her voice. Jealousy was not a usual emotion for her, nor was she usually the type to get jealous at all. "What are you talking about? And what do you mean the 'woman of my dreams at one point'?"

"Oh please Zoro, we both know you liked her! After watching your childhood I know you had strong feelings for her." He didn't say anything. This caused a sharp pain in her chest. "You… _did _have strong feelings for her, didn't you?"

"I… don't know."

She walked over til she was right in front of him and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Say it. The truth."

He took a nervous gulp and clenched his fists. "I… I don't know."

That was all it took. She turned around and grabbed the comforter on the bed and a pillow. She gave him one last angry look and opened the door.

"Lacy!" He grabbed her arm, but she yanked it away. "Where are you going?"

"Until you figure out your emotions and what's going on, then you give me a call ok?"

"Where are you going? Lacy!" She closed the door without giving him an answer. He sat back down on the bed and clenched his hair in frustration. "What the hell was I thinking?"

* * *

Lacy made herself a bed on the padded bench bordering the room in Zoro's workout tower. She wrapped herself in the comforter and stared out of the window. Brook walked up behind her and joined her on the bench.

"Are you alright, Lacy-chan?"

"Hey Brook."

"What are you doing up here by yourself?" She looked away. "Did you and Zoro-san get into another fight?"

"Sort of…"

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

She shook her head. "No, it's just… Zoro's past has come back to haunt him and he doesn't know what to think."

"Did he not have a pleasant past?"

"Who _did _have a pleasant past in this crew?"

"True…"

"He… lost someone dear to him when he was young and apparently that person's spirit is here in town."

"So what's there to argue about?"

"It's… complicated." She didn't really know how to explain her feelings. "Hopefully he can figure his thoughts and feelings out and until he does I'm sleeping up here."

"You know… it's usually the man who gets kicked out of the room, not the woman." He chuckled.

She smiled. "Ya I guess so. Well I didn't feel like arguing anymore so I just left on my own. It doesn't matter. I'm too stressed and upset to…" She suddenly felt tears streaking down her face at the end of her sentence. She stopped herself and covered her face. "S-Shit…!"

"D-Don't cry, Lacy-chan!"

"I don't want to. Dammit!" She wiped her eyes and tried to recompose herself in front of him. "I hate crying in front of people! I'm sorry…"

"There's no need for you to apologize, Lacy-chan. Crying is completely natural."

"But I'm crying over something I'm probably overreacting to! I don't know…"

"Do you… want me to stay til you fall asleep?"

"I'd like that." She smiled. "It might be hard for me to fall asleep with all this crap on my mind."

"Leave that to me~."

He took out his violin and began to play a beautiful soothing tune. Lacy smiled at the beautiful sound and closed her eyes. Thanks to Brook she was able to slowly drift to sleep.

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night alone in the weight room. She knew Brook stayed til she fell asleep, but the feeling of being completely alone gave her a small chill of discomfort. She suddenly heard a childish giggle from outside of the window. She looked down by the pier and saw the faded outline of a child in the fog.

_What's a little kid doing out here late at night? _Lacy thought. The little girl motioned her to follow then ran off into the fog. "W-Wait!" Lacy threw the comforter off, threw on some pants and shoes, and ran off to follow her.

She quietly ran off the ship in the direction the girl ran. She called out after her, hoping to see something in the thick fog. She found herself in a remote part of town and the fog was finally lifting, but only around the street she was on. When the fog lifted, it finally revealed the little girl.

Lacy's eyes widened in fear while the girl giggled. "K-Kuina!"

The smile faded fast. "So you've heard about me from Zoro, I see."

"What? Erm… no. I-It's complicated… But I know who you are from-"

"Stay away from him."

Lacy felt a sudden chill up her spine and she swallowed. "S-Sorry?"

"Stay away from Roronoa Zoro."

"U-Um… I don't mean to be rude, but why would you want me to stay away from him?"

"Stay away from him!"

Kuina floated toward her at a rapid speed. Lacy gasped and held up her arms to shield herself, but of course the spirit went though her. When she turned around Kuina was gone. The fog swirled around her again and blended with the rest of the town. She hugged herself, unable to shake the chill filling up her body. A kind of fear she never felt before surged through her and she suddenly felt very afraid to be alone in the dark. She walked down the street back toward the ship when something tapped her shoulder. She turned around and screamed.

* * *

Zoro found Brook in the living room playing his violin by the window. He looked around to see if Lacy was maybe with him, but only found his skeleton friend.

"Konban wa, Zoro-san" Brook greeted him. "If you're looking for Lacy she's in the weight room."

He nodded. "Souka. Thanks." He opened the door to go outside.

"I wouldn't go after her if I were you."

Zoro let go of the door handle and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"She's not happy with you right now. Perhaps you should let her cool off or at least think of the right words to say to her."

"Did… she tell you about our fight?" He asked nervously.

He nodded. "Don't worry, Zoro-san. I only got the vague details, but it sounds to me like your encounter with your past is affecting both of you. Would you like to know what she said?"

"Great…" He wondered, already thinking about the harsh things she might have said about him. "Yeah sure. What did she say?"

"She said you need to figure out your thoughts and feelings first. I'm not sure what she means, but she was pretty sad about it."

"Shit… She cried didn't she?"

"S-She tried not too! But… ya, she did."

"Thanks." Zoro went upstairs to talk things over with Lacy, but when he got there, he couldn't find her. "Lacy?" He searched the room. "Lacy? Are you hiding from me? Look… I've been thinking about what you've said…"

He stopped when he finally spotted the comforter. He noticed the way it was tossed back, telling him she got up to do something. On the ground next to him he found her shorts she slept in and wondered why they were there. He looked outside to see if maybe she was sitting on the deck somewhere when he spotted someone waving at him in the fog. He winced and realized who it was. "K…Kuina!"

* * *

He ran outside to join her and gave her a startled look. "W-What… what are you doing here?"

She looked with awe at the ship, scanning it up and down. "So this is your pirate ship, huh? It doesn't look very terrifying. Not to mention it's a bit small compared to most pirate ships."

"Why are you here?" Zoro repeated himself.

"Have you thought about what I said?"

"I'm free to do as I please." He stood his ground.

"Aw come on, Zoro. Leave this childish pirate crew and come with me. We can train together and prepare you for your battle against Mihawk. Besides," She touched his chest, running her hand down his scar through his shirt, "you'll win your next match against him this time. I can feel it!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled it away from him. "You're dead, Kuina. It was hard, but I came to terms with that a long time ago. Going with you is impossible. You can't remain a spirit forever. I love being with this crew anyhow, so there's no way I could leave. If you were alive… I'd take you with me."

She beamed. "Really~? You'd take me with you? So we could be together?"

"Together… as friends."

This made her smile disappear. "And why would we be just 'friends' in your little pirate crew? Why couldn't we be more?"

He sighed. "Look Kuina, Lacy and I-"

"Don't talk about her when you're with me!" She yelled. "She's out of the picture so just stop talking about her already!"

His brow twitched. "What… do you mean out of the picture?"

She smiled. "You don't miss a beat, do you Zoro? Then, would you like to see her?"

"What did you do to her?"

"Follow me."

She led him to an old barn on a hill behind the town. Once they were inside the doors closed behind him. Zoro was sick of her games.

"Now show me where she is." A light flickered on with Lacy being revealed underneath it. Zoro's eye went wide. "Lacy!" She had rope wrapped around her stomach with her hands tied behind her back. She was hanging on a roped crane over a tank of water. It seemed like the typical evil bad guy setting and a bit over the dramatic side, but the sight itself proved threatening enough to get Zoro pissed. "Why did you take her?"

"See? She's fine. Besides she came after me willingly. I'll let her go if you stay here with me. How about it? It'll be like old times Zoro~."

"Let her go."

"We could spar, talk under the stars, and-"

"I said let her go, Kuina!"

"I told you not to mention her when I'm around!"

The crane dropped Lacy just short of the water and jolted her awake. She opened her eyes slowly and adjusted to the bright light. When her vision finally cleared, she gasped. "Zoro!"

"What will you achieve by doing this, Kuina? The Kuina I knew would never lower herself to such an unsightly thing!"

"I just missed you too much, Zoro!" Her image blurred and rose around her, forming a new look. As if at will, she was able to transform herself into a grown woman with a beautiful blue dress and longer hair. She gave a shy smile. "This is what I would've looked like all grown up if I didn't die. I've wanted to grow my hair out for so long… but I would've made myself stronger for you and for the title. Do you like it, Zoro?"

He stepped towards her. "Kuina… it doesn't matter what you would've looked like or what you would have become. This isn't your usual style."

"I know, I usually go with a pale purple color, but a blue dress adds a nice touch-"

"I mean your attitude! This is all wrong and you know it! This isn't like you at all! Now let her go and please rest in peace! Your death has tormented me enough for a lifetime!"

She smiled. "My death really caused you so much pain?"

"Yes! Ok? I was a mess when you died, but that's no reason to come back now as a wondering spirit to haunt me and hurt Lacy!"

"Kuina, please!" Lacy shouted down to her. "I know what you've gone through and believe me I know it hurts! But this isn't the way to solve anything when-"

"SHUT UP!"

The crane jumped, putting only her only ankle deep in the water. She felt herself grow weak and that's when she realized it was sea water.

This caught Kuina's attention. "What's this? A Devil's Fruit user?" She laughed. "I never expected for Zoro to hang around such a useless person, especially when you guys are always on the ocean. I just thought the threatening water would do the trick, but if makes you weaker, this is even better!"

"Stop it, Kuina! Release her and punish me instead! She has nothing to do with this!"

"She has EVERYTHING to do with this!" Kuina shouted back at him. "It's because of your thoughts about her that are clouding your judgment to come with me! Tell me Zoro," she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in close, "don't tell me you've never thought about me that way."

"Kuina, this is not-"

"Just say it. It's real simple. I'm curious… did you ever have romantic thoughts about me? Did you ever care about me in that way? As lovers?"

Lacy focused all her attention on Zoro's eyes. His next words would either make or break her and she was praying for the better. Zoro just stood there, looking down and not wanting to answer.

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Yes…" He mumbled.

"What was that?" Kuina asked. "What did you say?"

"Yes. I did love you."

Lacy's heart sank. That one word alone gave her a sickening and painful feeling. One word to have her whole world come crashing down. Everything she ever thought about between Zoro and Kuina were all doubted theories until know. The answer she feared for a very long time was her worst reality. And all Zoro had to say was yes. Yes he was in love with Kuina.

"Kuina!" Lacy shouted after her, but there was an obvious pain in her voice. The tears just came without a warning as she spoke. "Please, Kuina! Please don't do this! I know you loved him, but don't you think there's a better way? I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry you had to die at such a young age! I'm sorry I had to come along and ruin everything for you! But please don't do this to him when he's already suffered through so much! Please!"

Kuina smiled, satisfied with Zoro's answer and Lacy's tears. She looked over her shoulder back at the blonde and waved. "Gomenasai, but I'm afraid his answer should be enough for you to understand." The crane released her and she splashed into the tank. She sank like a stone and struggled to free her hands.

Zoro ran at the tank. "LACY!"

Kuina held him back. "This is for your own good Zoro! She's been holding you back from who you really are. Don't you think this is the time to finally let her go? She can remain a spirit here too with us that way we can all be together and you'd never have to worry about her dying. Wouldn't that be nice? Then we'd never leave you."

He turned around and held her close to him. He held her tight in his arms while she stood there off guard from his sudden embrace. "Gomen… Kuina…" He sounded so melancholy, it made Kuina feel just a little uneasy. "I was so pissed off at the fact that you were a wondering spirit with unfinished business. I was wondering why in the world a person like you would want to wander the world alone and not enter the afterlife. At first I thought it was because of your ambition to become the world's first female swordsman and claim the title of the best, but I had no idea your feelings for me were this strong…" He pulled her back and smiled. "I'm so sorry you couldn't physically be here to enjoy life and be with me…"

She smiled and hugged him back. "Oh Zoro…"

The sight alone was just jabbing the knife deeper into Lacy's chest. She wanted to know so badly what they were saying, yet at the same time she was thankful so the pain couldn't worsen. By then her air had run out and she closed her eyes while releasing the last group of bubbles from her mouth.

Zoro released her and took something out of his pocket. "What is that?" Kuina asked.

He showed her a gold ring and smiled. "It's a wedding band."

She was confused at first, wondering if he was proposing. "Is that… for me?"

He shook his head and put it on his left ring finger. "Gomen, Kuina… but I'm afraid my heart belongs to Lacy."

She stumbled back. "W-What…? B-But you weren't wearing a ring the entire time!"

"It got a little banged up from our last adventure, so I took it to the jeweler this morning to get it fixed. I got it back later this evening after Lacy and I fought." His smile faded. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I loved you once, but that was in the past. I took up your sword so that I could fulfill our dream one day. I would think of you and how hard you trained and that alone pushed be forward to train harder each day. But then I met Lacy and everything changed. I fell in love again but this time it was… different."

"Different how?"

He grinned. "At first I admired you for your strength and was jealous, pushing myself harder every day to eventually beat you, then over time I learned to love you. But all Lacy had to do was smile and I was hers. I don't know how it happened or how a person like me could fall so easily for someone like her, but I'm glad I did. I love her too much to bear sometimes. Kuina…" He reached out to touch her, but she pulled herself back.

"You fell so easily? And to a worthless idiotic blonde?"

"You may not understand, but she's very strong; just like you were. And she's care free and always positive and loving. You should see the way she connects with anyone near her. You two would've been great friends."

"But then you would be with me if I were still alive!"

That stopped him. He sighed and played with his ring. "Maybe… I'm not sure, but what's done is done. It's all in the past and I'm madly in love with Lacy. So please… please release her…"

Anger swelled up inside of her and a black aura emerged from her body. Her eyes glowed and her voice grew deeper. "I am NOT losing you to the likes of her! She's dead and you're still thinking of only her!"

Zoro looked back at the tank and saw Lacy's lifeless body at the bottom of the tank. "LACY!"

He attempted to run after her again, but Kuina's spirit pulled him back by his wrists. He struggled to free himself, but Kuina's anger made her stronger. "Stop it, Kuina!" He whipped around and broke free from her grasp and drew his swords.

Kuina laughed. "Are you going to cut me down Zoro? Spirit or no spirit, I know you'd never lay any harm at me outside of a spar!"

He sliced the air, releasing several sickle beams of light around Kuina. "You're right, I could never harm you. Even after everything that has happened tonight, I could never find the will to hurt you, but you will NOT prevent me from saving the woman I love!"

"Nani?" She looked back and saw the sickles from the blades slice the tank, shattering it into pieces with Lacy falling from within it.

With her distracted, Zoro was able to run and catch Lacy before she hit the ground. He shook her. "O-Oi! Lacy! Wake up!" He listened for her heartbeat and gasped. "Kuso!" He began to resuscitate her and thankfully got her to cough up some water.

Kuina's evil aura grabbed Zoro again, by the ankles this time, and pulled him back. "WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO HURT ME, ZORO?"

Zoro didn't struggle this time. He was too upset by her words to find the will to fight. He really didn't want to hurt her even if she did try to kill Lacy. "Kuina, I'm begging you! Stop this already!"

"Ku… Kuina…"

Her spirit stopped dragging Zoro and looked over at Lacy, who was sitting up and vomiting up more water. "You're suppose to be dead!"

She smiled, tears streaking down her face once again. "I know you probably think I don't understand what your going through, but I know perfectly. I loved Zoro as much as you did, thinking it was only one sided and that my love would never be returned. So many other factors fell into place along the way: the fear of injury, death, or even falling out of love. But he never stopped thinking about you, nor stopped caring about you. We may not have talked about it all that much, but I could tell he was thinking about you. Especially during his training sessions. Every single day I could see the ambition and determination in his eyes to fulfill both your dreams." She chuckled. "Hell, I've been jealous of you ever since I knew about Zoro's past. I envied you. I wanted to learn about the old Zoro and leanr what he was really like when he was younger. You had something with him that I couldn't experience no matter how hard I wished for it. So please… don't have him endure anymore suffering than he's already been through."

"Lacy…"

Now it was Kuina's turn to cry. Silent tears poured down her face and released Zoro from her anger. She covered her face, ashamed of crying in front of them. A soft glow swirled around her and she slowly reverted back to her normal child form and continued crying.

"I'm… so sorry, Zoro. I never meant to cause you any pain… I-I just didn't want to lose you again…"

Zoro embraced her once again on his knees and kissed her on the cheek. "I could never be angry with you, Kuina. I still carry you with me in your sword and in my heart. Now please continue on to the afterlife. I do not wish for your spirit to stay wondering here. It would only worry me more."

She saw him smile and a strange aura of warmth filled her. She smiled back at him and nodded. "For you, Zoro, I will. I'm sorry... I wish you'd come with me... I love you."

As she wiped her face Zoro went back to hold Lacy in his arms. He picked her up in his arms and when they both looked back at Kuina, she was gone. They looked around the barn and was unable to find her.

"Where did she go?" Lacy asked.

"Hopefully… she was able to finally rest in peace."

She looked up at him and saw him smiling, but his eyes said it all. He was upset that she was gone. She closed her eyes and pretended to feel weak, allowing him to carry her back to the ship.

* * *

He brought her back to their room and laid her on the bed. He thought she had passed out, so he took off her wet clothes and put one of his shirts on her. When he stood up he noticed her eyes were staring off onto space. "Are you alright?" He asked.

A tear rolled down her cheek, though her face was expressionless. "I knew you loved her…"

He sighed and sat back down. "There was a time I did, yes."

"Stop saying that!"

"What?"

She bit her lower lip and covered her face. "I don't want to hear you say that…"

It was strange and upsetting enough to have a love from his past come back wanting him only to think of her, but now his present love was doing the same thing. "Everyone has had someone in their past they've loved. You have too, you know."

"I know!"

"Then why are you getting so upset about this?"

She just laid there. Crying. Unable to explain how she felt or why she was getting so upset, and this was beginning to worry Zoro. She sobbed quietly, trying to stop. "I... I don't know... I-I just… I'm so confused right now, Zoro..."

He couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her arms away from her face and gave her a hard kiss. He had caught her off guard and felt afraid of his actions.

"Z-Zoro...! What are you–" She tried mumbling between his kisses.

He couldn't bare her pain any longer. Her suffering became his, and he wanted to make her happy again. He wanted her to see that he loved her and only her. "No more, Lacy."

"What?"

Before she could say anything else, Zoro pinned her onto the bed with his hands wrapped around her wrists against the mattress. He began kissing her, not allowing her to speak, and it was frightening her.

Lacy struggled, trying to get out of Zoro's grasp. "Ya...Yamette Zoro...!"

He ignored her. Instead, he caressed her legs, stroking her thighs. She shut her eyes tight and squirmed, still trying to get away.

"D-Dame, Zoro! Yamerou!"

He continued ignoring her, now sliding his hand up her shirt.

"N-No! Don't, Zoro!"

He kissed her neck and embraced her.

She finally found the strength to turn into water and slip out of his grasp and pushed him away from her. "ZORO, STOP!"

Zoro's eyes popped open. He stood up and stared at her whimpering body, which quickly turned back to normal on the other side of the bed. "L-Lacy... Ore..."

She quickly turned over onto her side and tried curling up into a ball. Her hands were gripping her hair while her arms covered her face. She was shaking... and crying. "D-Don't..."

"Lacy, I didn't... I just wanted–"

She tried hiding her face in the sheets, acting like his voice was hurting her. His felt a new ache in his heart and it was a frightening pain. He crawled over the bed and cradled her in his arms gently. He felt her body jump at his sudden touch as if she was afraid he might do something to her again.

"Shh... It's ok. I'm here for you, Lacy."

He could hear her breathe becoming deeper and her shaking was decreasing. Before he knew it, she had literally cried herself to sleep.

"Shit... what have I done..." _I'm such an ass... _Zoro thought. _I was only trying to make her see I loved her, not Kuina. Instead I caused her more pain... _He squeezed her closer to him and he rested his chin on her soft shoulder; and soon fell fast asleep.

* * *

Lacy's eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times before sitting up, staring out of the window at the morning sun. She forgot she was in Zoro's shirt and looked around for more clothes. She looked down and noticed her green-haired swordsman sleeping soundly next to her; with his back facing her.

She sighed. "Zoro..."

She petted his hair for a moment then kissed his forehead before getting out of bed. She grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom to take a shower, closing the door silently behind her.

Minutes later, Zoro opened his eyes. He yawned, taking his time to have his eyes adjust to the light.

"A-ah! Lacy!" He sat up and quickly turned around to find only himself in the bed. He scanned the room slowly, as if thinking she was hiding somewhere. He listened closely and heard the shower running.

As he opened the bathroom door, he noticed the shirt Lacy was sleeping in was hanging on the doorknob. He looked up and found Lacy's vague outline behind the curtain. He sighed and walked slowly towards her, not wanting to startle her.

He slowly pulled back the curtain. Lacy froze and covered herself as if it were an intruder peeping at her. But she didn't say anything, only stared at Zoro's melancholy expression.

"Lacy."

"Oh, it's only you." She shied her face away from him, still holding her body. "Zoro... look, I didn't mean to–"

He cut her off. "You don't have to say anything. I'm the one at fault here."

"But-"

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I'm sorry... for everything last night. Our fight, the incident with Kuina, then afterward... I just wanted you to know that you are all I care about. More than Kuina, more than my ambition, more than my own life. That may have been how I felt when I was young, but that was all left in the past and you are my everything, so please just forget about last night."

She closed her eyes and hugged him back. "It's not so easy to forget. I didn't mean to over react, but Kuina… has always been lingering in the back of my mind. I don't know what I'm feeling… And I didn't mean to fall apart like I did…" She looked up at him and gave him a small smile, assuring him he was forgiven. "I'm sorry."

He smiled back at her. "You will tell me what's going through your mind later, right? About what you've been feeling and everything about Kuina? Including last night? I want to know and understand what you've been struggling with in secret."

She nodded. "Alright, but only if you do the same. No matter how upsetting it might seem to me, I want to know how you've felt too. Sometimes I keep forgetting I have someone to share my thoughts with. I'm so use to concealing my emotions and opinions that I forget to sometime relieve them from my mind.."

Zoro sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm here for you though."

He bent down to kiss her slowly, waiting for her to protest. She didn't; instead she leaned up closer to him, gladly accepting his love. He stood closer to her, pressing her body against the wall. She gasped.

"Z-Zoro! Let me finish with my shower. You're going to get wet!"

"I don't care." He leaned in to kiss her again when she leaned her forehead against his to stop him.

"Yes you do." She giggled softly. "You're getting your pants soaked."

"Fine then." He took a step back and took off his pants and threw them on the floor. "There. I'll just have to take a shower with you." Lacy blushed. She shied her eyes away from him as if trying to give him his privacy. Zoro laughed. "What are you thinking about?"

"Ah! Eh... n-nothing."

He chuckled and hugged her. "You're so damn cute, Lacy. I love you."

She smiled and laid her head against his chest. "I love you too."


	45. Ch44: Every Mile a Memory

**CHAPTER 44: Every Mile a Memory**

A couple months passed, leaving the Straw-Hat crew restless from their journey since it had been weeks before they last saw land. It got to a point where they were running short on food and water. The crew spent the last couple days lying on the deck starving and exhausted. Everyone became lazy, leaving them all weak and hungry.

"Eeeeeeeh... Hara hetta..." Luffy whined as he sat on the railing with a fishing pole.

"Hara hetta..." Usopp and Chopper mimicked Luffy as they sat beside him with fishing poles as well.

Brook leaned against the mast. "If I don't eat anything soon I'll starve to death. Though, I'm already dead! Yohohoho!"

Nami and Robin sat on some lounge chairs, fanning themselves as they read.

"How long has it been since we saw land...?" Nami asked in a weak tone.

"Too long." Robin replied, turning the page of her book.

"Nami..." Lacy yelled out as she laid on her back on the grass deck. She was lying next to Zoro as he slept, with her arms and legs spread out. "When are we going to reach land again?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Because you've got the island log point..."

"It only points in the direction of the island, it doesn't tell me when we're going to reach it."

Sanji walked out of the kitchen with glasses of water on a tray. "Drink up ladies. Sorry, but this is all I have to work with until we can restock on food and drinks."

Robin and Nami grabbed a glass of water before he offered it to Lacy. She sat up and gave him a weak look. "It's not sea water, is it?"

"I would never give such a thing to you lovely ladies! Maybe to everyone else..."

"Oi..." The three fishermen said at once.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about." Franky said aloud as he continued to screwed pieces of metal together for his latest contraption. "I think this has been giving us plenty of time to ourselves. Look at all the inventions I've made~ I'm _SUPAA_ fine!"

Sanji shot him an angry glance. "You've been out of cola for a few days, Franky! stop putting up the tough act!"

Franky looked up with tears in his eyes. "You know Sanji, i was trying to forget my worries in my work, but thanks to you, that painful reminder of no fuel has been killing me!" He fell over onto his side and curled up into a ball while crying.

Sanji's brow twitched. "Oi..."

"Ah?" Luffy focused his eyes forward and smiled. "Shima~!"

Lacy popped up. "Shima?!"

"SHIMA?!" Everyone else repeated. All except Zoro ran to the side of the ship to look in the direction Luffy was pointing at. Sure enough, an island was in sight and almost seemed to be screaming their name.

"Finally we can see civilization!" Usopp cheered.

"I can finally buy new clean clothes!" Nami cried.

"I can finally eat meat!" Luffy giggled.

"I can finally cook delicious meals for my ladies~!" Sanji sighed.

"I can finally get more cola!" Franky cried tears of joy.

"Let's go!" Lacy demanded.

They reached land faster than ever. As soon as they docked, after scanning for the Navy of course, they jumped off the ship.

"Right, so we'll do the usual?" Nami asked, looking at her indicator. "We'll collect supplies and what we need and meet back here by evening, alright?"

Brook saluted. "I shall stay behind and watch Lion-chan until you guys get back."

"Yosh~!" Luffy cheered, throwing a fist into the air. "Ikuso minna~!"

Zoro climbed down the ladder last, yawning as he finally touched land. "Where are we going now?" He asked Lacy, finding her to be the last one to leave the group.

"First, food!" She demanded, giving him a hungry stare.

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

They found a restaurant nearby with good cheap food and better yet, a buffet. They ate to their heart's content, leaving huge piles of plates on their table; most of them being Lacy's share. When Zoro was finally stuffed, he drank grog as Lacy continued to eat.

He sweat dropped. "I swear you're as bad as Luffy sometimes."

"Hey, I'm starving! We haven't had a decent meal in days!"

He sighed. "I guess so." He noticed she had brought her cell phone with her and had it lying on the table. Always intrigued by technology from her world, he picked it up. "Can I see this?"

"Sure, be careful though." She replied with a mouth full of shrimp.

His brow twitched. "I will. I'm not that bad." He played around with the buttons, just to kill time. He already knew how to work it since she had showed him many times over. But when he scanned through her calendar section, something caught his eye. "Oi, Lacy?"

She stopped eating to glance at him. "What is it?"

"What's the date today?"

She looked up to think for a moment. "Um... July something? I don't know, the days start to fuse together when you've been at sea for too long. Why?" He stared at her for a moment, hoping she would get the hint. She didn't. "What?"

"Did you forget today was your birthday or did you not care?"

Her eyes went wide. "What? It's my birthday today?" She took a moment to count the days on her fingers, trying to piece together in her mind if he was right. "Oh wow it is!"

His head hit the table. "B-baka! You really did forget?!"

"Well apparently so did you! I mean you're my husband, you're suppose to remember my birthday without the help of a calendar from my phone."

He blushed slightly. "Well, yes, but you know how forgetful I am!"

She waved her hand at him. "I know, but don't worry about it. It's not a special birthday age anyways."

"How can you say that? You always tell me birthdays are important."

She sighed. "Yeah, but when you get older there's really no point in celebrating since we're past the important ages. I still have time before I hit any of the others unless you want to count 25-"

"But it's still your birthday. How come you didn't tell me?"

"I told you, the days fused together I forgot! I still don't understand why you're getting upset when you didn't remember either. Again, it's not important."

He slammed his fist onto the table. "It's still important!"

She stared at him for a moment with surprised eyes. "Z-Zoro... You use to not care so much about birthdays, why does it matter now?"

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "I don't know. I guess it's from all those times someone has had a birthday in the past and you made them more important than they needed to be. You taught me that."

She blushed, rubbing her neck in an embarrassed manner. "S-sorry... You're right. I mean, I do try to make birthdays meaningful to others. I guess it's my turn now."

"See?"

"But there's nothing really to do. I mean, we just arrived at port, we're all starving, and there's nothing historical or fun about this place as far as we know. "

He stood up and grabbed her arm, forcing her to follow him. "C'mon."

"Z-Zoro! Where are we going?!"

"Just follow me!"

He led her back out into the streets of the town and scanned the island.

"What are we looking for?" She asked, confused about his behavior.

"Ah!" He led her across town, not saying a word the entire time. He took her through the jungle on the outskirts of town, leaving a trail behind.

Lacy grew impatient. "Zoro! Just tell me what's going on! We're not going to get us lost through the forest as punishment for me forgetting, are we? Because that would be really lame right now; especially after I just ate and food coma's gonna hit me soon and you're lucky I'm taking notes as to where we're going so we don't get lost-"

"Here we are." He replied.

She looked in front of her in awe. The scenery was breath taking. He had led her to a waterfall with tropical and colorful flowers blooming everywhere. Large boulders bordered the stream below the waterfall with large brightly colored fish swimming in it. She took in the smell of the fresh water's scent as well as embracing the cool mist of the waterfall's sprays.

"This is... gorgeous, Zoro!" She finally spoke. "How the hell did you spot this just from the town?"

He placed his hands on his hips, his face still serious. "You love this sort of scenery, so i thought of you when I saw the jungle in the distance and thought I heard running water."

"Wait... you _heard_ running water? How the hell did you-"

He cut her off. "You need to relax and enjoy your birthday. It's bad enough already we spent most of the day starving and sailing." He pulled out a bottle from his haramaki, hiding it on the side to blend in with his swords.

"What's that?" Lacy asked.

He smiled. "Rum."

"Sweet rum?"

He nodded. "Of course."

She gasped. "How the hell did you get your hands on that?!"

"I took it from the bar back at the restaurant."

"You mean you stole it?!"

"Oi, we're pirates. Besides, I needed to grab something for us to drink while we relaxed."

She giggled. "Thank you, Zoro."

They found a spot on one of the boulders where they shared the bottle of rum. They spent the next couple hours talking and laying next to each other on the boulder as they enjoyed the sound of the running water and nature chirping away within the jungle. At one point Lacy pushed Zoro into the water where he completely submerged with his clothes still on. After laughing at him, she joined him where they swam around in the fresh water continuing to talk and splash each other.

* * *

When it was time to finally leave and with the help of Lacy's landscape memory, they found their way out of the jungle and back into town where they met up with everyone at the Thousand Sunny Go.

"Got everything you needed?" Robin asked Nami, carrying a bag over her shoulder.

She nodded. "Yup~! Managed to get some great prices on these outfits thanks to a bit of negotiating~. You?"

Robin giggled. "Found some new reading material for our next voyage."

Brook waved to them from the ship. "Welcome back minna-san!"

"Nami-swan~! Robin-chwan~! Lacy-chwan~!" Sanji hulled a large cart behind him with a large pile of fish and fruit and vegetables for storage. "I found some delicious rare fish to cook for you in wonderful new meals~!"

Franky walked beside him with a barrel over one shoulder and the rest being pulled by a dolly behind him. "We also got more cola and supplies for Sunny Go!"

"Oi~!"

Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy joined the crew as well as they rushed towards them with shopping bags and mouths full of meat.

"Sanji!" Luffy spoke to his chef. "I found lots of meat for you to cook for me~!"

"Today's Lacy's birthday."

Everyone stopped to look at Zoro, who had just arrived and was pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Lacy.

Lacy froze in shock at Zoro's backside. "Z-Zoro!"

"Is it the end of July already?!" Nami gasped.

Sanji began to cry. "How could I forget that today was Lacy-chan's birthday?!"

"Happy birthday Lacy~!" Luffy cheered, throwing a piece of meat at her. "Here! You can have this."

Lacy caught it and found it was a piece of ham. She smiled shyly. "U-um... thanks, but it's ok guys."

"I'm so sorry we didn't have anything planned for you, Lacy!" Nami said, embarrassed.

"It's ok! Really, guys! I'm ok with it."

"Baka! A birthday's important! We should do something for you!" Usopp suggested.

"We should throw a party!" Chopper added.

"How about just the two of us go on a mini cruise for the night?"

Everyone looked back at Zoro once again.

"A cruise?" Usopp raised an eyebrow.

"Chotto matte!" Nami placed her hands on her hips. "What do you mean by that, Zoro?"

"How about Lacy and I take Sunny Go on a little cruise around the island. Just for tonight."

"You're not allowed to sail Sunny Go! You'll crash her into the rocks!" Franky shouted.

"Hell no!" Sanji protested. "I don't trust you with the dishes! What makes you think we could trust you to be alone with Lacy-chan?! Not to mention with the ship as well?!"

"It's fine." Luffy smiled.

"Ha?!" Everyone said, confused by their captain's approval.

Robin stepped forward. "I agree. These two haven't had a moment of peace for a long time without any disturbances. Why not let them be alone for a while. Right, senchou-san?"

Luffy nodded with a large grin. "Un~! Besides, this gives us more time to explore the town~!"

Nami looked down at her wrist. "Well... it would give the log pose more time to locate the next island since it hasn't done so already..."

"And I found a pretty nice hotel near the sea that's not too far from here." Usopp added.

"But, but... Sunny Go..." Franky looked at his feet depressed.

"It gives us a chance to relax someplace other than the ship since we've been on it for so long." Chopper suggested.

Sanji huffed angrily. "I guess they haven't had time to themselves..."

"R-Really, guys?" Lacy asked.

Luffy walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I trust the Sunny Go to you, Lacy."

Zoro sweat dropped. "Oi...!"

Brook lifted up his violin. "Would you like me to stay so I could play something romantic for you two~?"

Nami threw a shoe at him. "Baka! The whole point of this is so they can finally have alone time!"

Luffy continued to speak to Lacy. "You go have fun on your birthday. It's the least we can do."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Luffy."

* * *

Zoro and Lacy set sail, circling the island slowly since they found it to be larger than they thought. Zoro stood at the helm for a while, trying to find a spot where they could have a steady course without worrying about the ship crashing into the island or falling out to sea.

Lacy sat in the kitchen next to him as he steered the ship. She smiled shyly. "Hey Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you... suggest we take a mini cruise?"

"Like Robin said, we haven't had any alone time in forever."

"What about back in the jungle? With the water fall?"

"Anyone could've found us there and ruin the moment."

"But no one did."

"That's besides the point." He turned to face her. "I want to be completely alone with you without the thought of someone ruining it hanging in the back of my mind."

He walked up behind him and hugged him. "You're so cute when you worry, Zoro."

They sailed for a couple hours until finding a spot directly on the other side of the island. Dusk was approaching fast, and Zoro wanted a spot where they could relax out at sea. He dropped the ship's anchor about half a mile off shore from the island. He tried preparing a meal for Lacy, but since he wasn't a cook at all, he ruined everything. Lacy helped him out and cooked a meal for them, thanking him for the thought. Zoro felt ashamed since he wasn't even able to cook a simple meal for his wife. They were almost finished with dinner when Lacy began to start another conversation.

"This was a pretty interesting idea to do this, Zoro. I'm surprised we never thought of it before."

"I'm just sick of interruptions. Birthday or not, I needed at least a friggin minute alone with you."

Lacy sighed. "I guess we never have any alone time, huh? Not like we use to."

"You mean when we were back in your world?" She nodded. "At least there we were able to do whatever we wanted without anyone bothering us."

"It's sort of depressing though, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ever since we got married, we haven;t really done anything that newlyweds typically do, you know?"

"like what?"

"Our privacy pretty much vanished. So we can't just take our time getting up in the morning with breakfast in bed while still in our underwear. Or pick out a place to live in together. and the little things like picking out furniture or wallpaper for our new place. Cooking meals together and then watch a movie with the lights off. Walk in the park and go to the zoo or an amusement park..."

Zoro was unfamiliar with these things that newlyweds do. Or a life settling down with someone for that matter. All he knew was fighting and the sea. and yet hearing everything Lacy said they could be doing, did make him think that maybe someday they could still do all of those things. "I know it doesn't mean much now, but you won't miss out on all of that stuff. We can still do that... in the future. After all, we can just leave these guys to do normal things."

She chuckled. "Normal. I suppose we are the very definition of what's not normal. But I understand and i agree. I just wish we didn't have to sneak around for privacy like we're teenagers still living with our parents or something. Privacy is so limited..."

Zoro paused for a moment. "You're right..." He got up and began to walk towards her. "Then let's make the most of it while we can." He gave Lacy a hard kiss, forcing her mouth to open to him.

Lacy pulled back, catching her breath. "Zoro–!"

"I want you right here, right now."

Her faced turned red. "H-How can you say something like that with such a serious expression?!"

"You got me thinking about how long it's been since we were able to do anything without worrying that someone was going to barge in or catch us doing anything; good or bad."

Lacy sat there for a moment, replaying those words in her head. And the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. "You're right. Let's take advantage of this." She gripped his shirt collar and pulled him down towards her, kissing him back with the same force he gave her.

He pulled her up, locking their lips together. They stumbled through the kitchen and entered the hall without trying to trip over anything or each other. They noticed they were in the hallway and only a few steps away from the bedroom.

Zoro pinned Lacy against the wall, embracing her with hungry kisses. He was devouring her while she ran her hands and arms all around his body. Zoro had one hand against the wall while the other ran up all around the inside of her shirt, pulling it off in the process. Next came the bra. It was beginning to get too hot for the both of them and desired each other fast. He picked her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist while her hands cupped his cheeks. He carried her into the bed room, still feeding her carnal kisses. He threw her onto the bed, pouncing on top of her soon after.

* * *

A couple more hours passed and the two lovers laid next to each other on the bed gasping for air. They smiled at each other, but said nothing until they could catch their breath. When they finally did, they embraced each other in gentle kisses.

"That was long overdue." Zoro mumbled between kisses.

"That was crazy." Lacy replied.

"Pretty much."

"What the hell just happened?"

Zoro chuckled. "I don't know. Taking advantage of this alone time? I say we succeeded."

She hit him playfully in the shoulder. "You're a brat."

"Oi oi! Besides, we haven't been able to completely let ourselves go and embrace each other like that in a long time. We always have to be sneaky or something."

She blushed. "Wow. Who'd of thought you could put together such a beautiful sentence."

"Hey, I can be romantic when I want to, dammit."

She giggled. "Yes you can."

Zoro smiled, embracing her in a tight hug. "You know what I love about all of this?"

"What?"

"I get to see this side of you. no restraints. No one else will ever know about this side of you. Only I can bring out the real you like this."

"Y-You bring out a different side of me it seems, you know!"

"I know. And I'm glad." He squeezed her. "You can be open with me, and I love that about you."

She smiled, pressing her cheek against his chest. "Right back at'cha."

"I love you, Lacy."

His soft voice gave her goose bumps. "I love you too, Zoro."

"Happy birthday."

She giggled. "Thank you. And thanks for everything today. Thank you for reminding me that a birthday's suppose to be a special day."

"Hey, you deserve it." He kissed the top of her head, thinking about everything that had happened to them in the past year. "You always deserve it and more."

* * *

**[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: ]] **Hey guys! It's been forever hasn't it? I'm so sorry it took this long for me to update any of the chapters when I still have sooooo much to post for you guys! I'm ashamed of myself that it took me this long to finally update... I promise I will try to do better! For all my fans all I can say is thank you for being patient _


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